Facilitators

Dr. Wilma R. Jackson

Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Doctorate in Education Leadership
Doane University
Masters in Education Curriculum and Instructor
Doane University
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work
Northeast Louisiana University

Dr. Jackson is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. Prior to coming to Lamar University, she served as Director of Multicultural Support Services at Doane University in Nebraska for over 18 years. Her legacy at Doane includes developing the first multicultural program and the first multicultural center. She is a long-time member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). NASPA is a network of 15,000 professionals, faculty, and students and 1,500 institutions coming together to support each other, overcome expanding challenges, and center student success in the evolution of higher education. In the role as Director of Diversity & Inclusive Excellence at Lamar University, she has continued her legacy as a trailblazer in diversity programming and education. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Lauren S. Wilson

Coordinator for Development-University Advancement Office

Masters in English
University of South Carolina
Bachelor of Arts in English
Lamar University

Lauren S. Wilson began her career in higher education in the field of English, with a research focus in Victorian literature through the lens of queer theory and a particular interest in queer temporality, presenting at several academic conferences and publishing in scholarly journals. During her assistantship at the University of South Carolina, Lauren served as an instructor and mentor in the classroom, writing center, and academic enrichment center on campus. Following her graduate program, Lauren served as a J-1 coordinator for incoming international internships at CIEE, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Maine, facilitating international education for students all across the globe. She now serves as the senior administrative associate for the Lamar University Office of Global Diversity and Inclusive Excellence, where she plans and organizes events and programming which promote diversity, inclusivity, and equity on campus.

Andre Favors

Instructor, Department of Communications, Lamar University

Masters in Communication
University of Louisiana - Lafayette
Bachelor of Arts in Communication
University of Louisiana - Lafayette

Andre Favors is an instructor in the Department of Communication at Lamar University. He both advises students in the department and teaches a variety of courses related to communication and media studies. He is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Memphis. He has presented at several academic and professional conferences and has published in The Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, Technoculture, and The Critical Lede (a podcast). He is also the assistant editor of Technoculture and has previously served as its reviews editor. His research centers on media, technology, Southern, health, and LGBTQ studies and the intersections between these areas of investigation through the use of qualitative and critical/cultural approaches.