The governance of the KU-Multicultural Scholars Program is coordinated and administered by a Executive Director, Administrative Assistant, Program Directors and the MSP National Advisory Council.
Fred Rodriguez, Executive Director The campus-wide Multicultural Scholars Program is coordinated by the Executive Director who reports directly to the Chancellor and Provost. Monthly meetings with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs are also scheduled. The Executive Director is responsible for collaborating and coordinating with the Program Directors of the MSP. The Executive Director also creates and leads the design, development and delivery of various campus wide MSP initiatives; coordinate the evaluation and assessment of the university MSP annual review process and administers the budget. The Executive Director also provides the necessary assistance in the admissions, recruitment and retention efforts for the various programs and serve as a liaison with other programs related to initiatives across campus; plans for and coordinates with current and potential donors in supporting MSP; assists and supports efforts to expand academic programs; publicize and recognize the accomplishments of the MSP scholars. The Executive Director arranges and facilitates the meetings of the Program Directors and the MSP National Advisory Council. Currently, this is a .50FTE position.
Professor Fred Rodriguez currently serves as Executive Director of the KU-MSP. Fred has served in a variety of administrative roles for KU. He was the inaugural director for the Center for Teaching Excellence; served as Associate Dean for five years and also served as Interim Dean in the School of Education for one year. He is a member of the Department of Curriculum and teaching and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Multicultural Education.
Rodriguez published articles in various research journals, authored several books and written grants in the area of multicultural/equity in education. He has also be acknowledged for his classroom teaching by receiving the first Gene A. Budig Teaching Fellowship in the School of Education and has received the Meredith Geiger-Gould Teaching award six times which is voted on by the senior class in the School of Education. He also has been the recipient of university teaching awards including the William Kemper Teaching Award, Mortar Board and the Burlington Northern Teaching Award.
The Administrative Assistant works closely with the Executive Director in all aspects of the MSP. The Administrative Assistant is responsible for payment of expenses, assists with events and announcements, publications and communicates with constituencies at the direction of the Executive Director and will maintain an accurate filing system for the office. Currently, this is a .50FTE position
Mary Ann Traiger currently serves as the administrative assistant for the KU-MSP. Mary Ann has been instrumental in the MSP since its inception. She has been a support not only for the program but a liaison to the scholars as they have questions about the program and financial questions. She ensures all aspects of the program are being completed in a timely and professional manner.
Contact Information
Mary Ann Traiger
mtraiger@ku.edu
434 JRP - School of Education
864-9775
This national and international group supports the vision and overall mission of the MSP at KU. They are ambassadors and advocates for the initiatives being implemented by the KU-MSP and specific programs. Each Council member is expected to take an active role in providing guidance and direction as well as seeking outside support for the KU-MSP. Members serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Director and the Program Directors. The Council meets at least twice per year or as needed.
Doug Miller is an American, born in Kansas, and has lived the last 29 years in London. He was a KU graduate in International Relations and Economics in 1966 and an MBA is 1971 (interrupted by 3 years in the Army). He has been active in the finance industry for over 30 years. For the last 15 years, he has run his own company, International Private Equity Limited, which specializes in raising capital from institutional investors for private equity funds. He has advised on 24 funds, raising over $6.5 billion.
Doug has been active with the Multicultural Scholars Program since the mid-90’s, initially with the School of Business and then with the broader program. In 2007, he worked with the University of Warwick (UK) to establish a similar program which initially is focusing on recruiting Afro-Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi students into the School of Law.
Carver L. Johnson joined The Kroger Co. as Group Vice President, Management Information Systems in December of 1999. In June of 2006, Kroger appointed Mr. Johnson as its first Chief Diversity Officer. Mr. Johnson is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic diversity plan that complements Kroger’s Customer First strategy. The plan includes increasing MWBE opportunities, and ensuring that Kroger's employee base reflects the demographics of the customers it serves.
Prior to joining Kroger, Mr. Johnson served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Gymboree and was Senior Systems Director of Corporate Services for Sears, Roebuck & Co. Mr. Johnson previously held management positions with Jamesway Corporation, Linens ‘n Things and Pay ‘n Save Stores, Inc.
Mr. Johnson earned a B.A. degree from the University of the District of Columbia with a major in Mathematics and an M.S. degree from American University.
Kris Davis is the Senior Director of Business Development with Capcom Interactive, Inc., the mobile games division of the originator of top selling franchises such as Street Fighter, Resident Evil and Mega Man. Kris manages relationships with key wireless distribution accounts and OEMs across North America. Kris also develops new business models, negotiates deal terms and executes contracts.
Prior to Capcom, Kris managed relationships with dozens of leading mobile game publishers for 3 years in product marketing at Sprint.
He holds a BS in Business with an emphasis in Information Systems from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Stephen B. Fawcett is Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. He is also Director of the KU Work Group for Community Health and Development, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. In his work, he uses behavioral science and community development methods to help understand and improve conditions that affect community health and development. A former VISTA volunteer, he worked as a community organizer in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. He served as the first Director of the Multicultural Scholars Program in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at KU.
Dr. Fawcett is co-author of nearly 200 articles and book chapters and several books in the areas of health promotion, participatory evaluation, and community-based research and intervention. A former Scholar-in-Residence at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, he served as a member of the IOM’s Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice. Dr. Fawcett has been a consultant to a number of private foundations, state and community partnerships, and national and international organizations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
David Broz is a registered architect at Gensler. He joined the firm in 2000 and rose to Senior Associate in 2006. He was a founder of the Internship Program at Gensler Chicago , and was the Studio Leader for the Education Architecture Studio for 3 years where he served as advisor to Columbia College Chicago.
Since 2004, Gensler has collaborated on more than 70 projects and $35 million dollars worth of construction for Columbia. He spearheaded efforts to develop a Sustainable-Focused internship program where students spend 25% of their time working with a “Green Mentor” researching a sustainable topic and 75% of their time on project work. Since the program’s inception, more than 40 college students have returned to their schools as LEED Accredited Professionals.
David is actively involved with the Recruiting Committee in Gensler Academic Practice Area Leadership and is also a founding member of the Diversity Committee. Through active involvement with his alma mater, the University of Kansas, David has developed committee members into relationship managers at various design schools across the Midwest to encourage individual committee members to become invested in their alma mater.
June Jones served as the Director, Global Workplace Initiatives and Diversity Outreach for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., a Division of the Colgate Palmolive Company. In this role, June lead the development of global workplace initiatives and community outreach to improve employee satisfaction. This included the development of employee programs, policies, surveys and other initiatives that promoted employee satisfaction and diversity to ensure that the company’s business practices reflect its fundamental values of caring, global teamwork and continuous improvement.
June has served as one of the first KU-MSP Advisory Council members and also serves on the Board of Governors for the Lied Center of Kansas; the board of directors for TDC Learning Centers (Topeka); the Lawrence Arts Center; the Equal Employment Advisory Council (Wash D.C.); and Living the Dream, Inc. Business Partners (Topeka); She is a founding member of the Downtown Topeka Child Care Consortium, a past board member of the Friends of the Lied; Executive Committee for the Mayor’s Council on Diversity (Topeka) and served as the immediate past Chairperson for the Equal Employment Advisory Council (Wash. D.C.). She was a course instructor for UCLA’s School of Management, Labor and Business; the American Banker’s Association and the Bank Administration Institute.
June is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles. She has received professional designations in Labor Relations, Industrial Relations, Personnel Management and Affirmative Action Program Management. She is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.
Renate Mai-Dalton is the founder and former Executive Director of the Multicultural Scholars Programs at the University of Kansas. Her teaching and service awards include the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, the Outstanding Mentor Award, the Outstanding Alumna Award, and the HOPE (Honoring Outstanding Progressive Educator) Award. She was inducted in the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1995.
Her research interests and publications are in the area of leadership, cultural diversity, and organization development.
Renate is an Assoc. Professor in the KU School of Business and currently the Principal Investigator for a FIPSE grant from the Department of Education. The grant evaluates the KU Multicultural Scholars Programs and pilot tests the program components for implementation at several Kansas Community Colleges. She will take a group of KU students to a Ghana Study Abroad during the winter 2008 Intercession.
William “Bill” Thornton was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2007, and he currently serves as a member of the Fiscal Affairs and Audit Committee. Thornton previously served as the Chair for the Board’s CEO Assessment Committee. He is the Vice President of Corporate Counsel of MGP Ingredients, Inc. in Atchison.
Before joining MGP, Thornton worked with Hallmark Cards and also as an attorney with Duncan-Senecal Law Offices, Chartered, in Atchison. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, as the Atchison Hospital Association’s Board Chair, on the University of Kansas’ Multicultural Scholars Board of Advisors, as the Vice President of Citizens for Community Action of Atchison, and as a Board Member and District Leader for the Midori Yama Budokai Martial Arts Association. He has served on the Kansas Mentors Leadership Council, the Kansas Long Range Transportation Plan Policy Committee, and the Kansas Health Information Exchange Commission.
Thornton received a bachelor’s degree from Benedictine College and a Juris Doctor from Washburn University’s School of Law. He and his wife, Rozetta, reside in Atchison. In his free time, Thornton enjoys horseback riding, karate, reading, and exercising.
Bill Taylor had 35 years of experience in public accounting serving clients principally in the financial services industry (FSI), including investment and trust companies, broker dealers, and life/health, variable annuity, and property/casualty insurers. He retired in June 2003 as an active partner in Ernst & Young LLP.
While serving Employers Reinsurance, Mr. Taylor led several multinational, multidiscipline teams for acquisitions in England, Germany, and the Netherlands. He has served as Audit Department Director, Area Director of FSI Practice Development, and in various other operational capacities. Mr. Taylor was a cofounder of the Ernst & Young Center for Audit Research and Technology at the University of Kansas and coordinated activities between the Center and the Firm’s national office. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Mr. Taylor is one of the first KU-MSP Advisory Council members. A graduate of the University of Kansas - Bill holds a Master’s in Accounting from the University. He is active in a number of activities at the University, including the Alumni Association Board of Directors and currently serves as chair of the Executive Committee of the Business School Board of Advisors.
Barbara is serving as First Vice President, Regional Coordinator with Capitol Federal – a position she has held since 1997. Her work entails operational autonomy for retail banking business in fourteen branch banks in North-East Kansas, with additional oversight of bank-wide business units of retirement administration and customer relationship management technology. She is primary designer and facilitator of the bank’s two-year leadership development program.
Barbara has been recognized for her professional service by her involvement with the Douglas County Community Foundation, Trustee, Grants Committee, chair since 2005, Sunflower Foundation, current Community Advisory Committee member, Leadership Kansas and the Kansas Educational Leadership Commission. In addition, Barbara has been recognized as for the Distinguished Alumnus Award, Leadership Kansas in 2008; Athena Award in 2007 and was Inducted, Mid America Hall of Fame in 2006. Barbara Carswell received her Masters of Science in Education from the University of Kansas.
