Center Team

Nadine J. Barrett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Duke University. She currently holds senior leadership roles as Co-Director for Equity and Stakeholder Strategy and the Inaugural Director of The Center for Equity in Research in the Duke Clinical Translational Science Institute, and Associate Director for Equity and Stakeholder Strategy, Duke Cancer Institute. A medical sociologist by training, Dr. Barrett is a health disparities researcher, expert equity strategist, and a nationally recognized leader in facilitating community/stakeholder and academic partnerships to advance health equity in access to quality health care and research.

Katelyn Cai is a sophomore Robertson Scholar at Duke University double majoring in Public Policy and Statistics. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, at Duke, she serves as Vice President of Durham & Community Affairs on Duke Student Government, Duke Presidential Ambassador, and member of multicultural dance group Defining Movement. She is drawn to TRHT because of her passion for solving political polarization and engaging in cross cultural communication and looks forward to bridging divides.

Gail C. Christopher is an award-winning social change agent and former Senior Advisor and Vice President of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). She is currently the Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE) and the Chair of the Board, Trust for America’s Health. As the visionary for and architect of the WKKF led Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) effort, her work has set the foundation for the growing TRHT Network of campus and community centers. In August of 2017, Dr. Christopher left her leadership position with WKKF to launch the Maryland based Ntianu Center for Healing and Nature. Gail holds a Doctor of Naprapathy degree from the Chicago National College of Naprapathy and completed advanced study in the interdisciplinary PhD program in Holistic Health and Clinical Nutrition at the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities.

Gi Chun (全惠民) is a senior majoring in Visual and Media Studies at Duke University and pursuing a Documentary Studies Certificate. They are from central Virginia, and before that Yeosu, Korea. They were first introduced to the TRHT Framework in 2021 as a student in the Race, Genomics and Society course, which has helped them further envision and embody racial healing. They like to create audiovisual stories for movement-building.

Steve Darr is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was involved from an early age in civil rights and school desegregation.  He attended the University of Arkansas, graduating in 1977 and much more recently served on the University’s Capital Campaign Committee where he founded the Fulbright Dean’s Fund for Racial Justice.  Steve is a 1980 graduate (M.Div.) of the Duke University Divinity School and 2015 graduate (M.S.) in Architecture at Virginia Tech.  He founded the nonprofit Alliance for Excellence in 1986 and the global nonprofit Peacework in 1989.

Perlie Davis is a certified Health & Life Coach who is committed to helping others unlock their potential and achieve their personal goals in health and wellness. An IT professional by trade, she has always been passionate about coaching which developed out of years of work with transformational programs. She has also facilitated Talking Circles as a means of generating dialogue around difficult topics. Perlie is a graduate of Spelman College (BS, Computer Science) and the University of Virginia (Master of Computer Science). She received her health and life coaching certifications from the Health Coach Institute in 2021.

Darla K. Deardorff works with UNESCO on its Story Circles Intercultural Methodology initiative, which has been officially piloted in five countries (Thailand, Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, Austria, and Tunisia) as well as online. She is Executive Director of the Association of International Education Administrators, a visiting research fellow at Duke and affiliated faculty at numerous institutions around the world, including UNESCO Chair of Intercultural Competences at Stellenbosch University (South Africa), Founding President of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence and is widely published in international education, global leadership, and intercultural learning/assessment. She received both her masters and doctorate from North Carolina State University, where she focused on international education.

Laron Dowdell earned his Master’s in Social Work at East Carolina University and is experienced providing counseling services to diverse populations of all ages in both medical and mental health settings. Laron enjoys working with adolescents and adults, focusing on substance abuse, sexuality and sexual health, and trauma. Laron is now pursuing a Master of Divinity from Duke University to fulfill the call of pastorship and prophetic liberation on behalf of oppressed communities.  Laron has been working with the Duke TRHT Center team as a Research Assistant to develop a workshop for instructors focused on applying the TRHT Framework in the classroom.

Patricia Garrett-Peters is a Senior Research Scientist and leads Special Projects. She has conducted research with underserved and minority populations for over two decades. Her research focuses on the effects of early life adversity on vulnerable youth and their families at the intersection of social position (SES, race) with the goal of understanding how variation in sociocultural context and lived experience impacts development across multiple systems, including family (parenting), regulatory (behavioral), and biological (cellular aging) systems. She received an MA in Psychology from the University of West Florida and a PhD in Human Development and Education from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Hannah Groos is a Robertson Scholar and a sophomore at Duke University double majoring in Computer Science and Psychology with a concentration in Data Science. She is originally from Norwalk, Iowa. After her experience in a course on “Global ‘Mixed Race’ Studies” as part of the Humanitarian Studies FOCUS cluster, Hannah felt immediately drawn to the TRHT initiatives and hopes to help more people explore this work. In the future, Hannah aspires to explore careers that connect sustainability, equity, technology, and wellbeing.

Lynden Harris is the founder of Hidden Voices, a radically inclusive, participatory, and co-creative collective committed to a just and compassionate world.  For twenty years, Lynden has collaborated with underrepresented communities to create award-winning works that combine narrative, performance, mapping, music, digital media, and interactive exhibits.

Abby Johnson is a junior at Duke University majoring in Visual Media Studies and Political Science with a minor in music. She is originally from Long Island, New York. Abby is interested in intersections of art and social change, and she plans to enter a career in film and entertainment. Abby is excited by the relational racial healing framework that TRHT offers. She hopes that working at TRHT will allow her to connect with and support other individuals, as well as teach her lessons that she can bring into her future work.

Pamela King is the Associate Director of Operations and Administration for the Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (Duke TRHT Center) and the Duke Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference (GRID). She oversees administrative and financial activities for both centers. Pam attended North Carolina A&T State University and North Carolina Central University majoring in Business Administration and Accounting. She received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Leslie C. Lewis is a partner with 3 Stories Consulting, LLC specializing in strategic planning and organizational development, and is also a published writer and playwright. She infuses her consulting work with the knowledge and skills gained through her extensive background in conflict resolution, mediation, and restorative justice, and utilizes an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to address complex and rapidly shifting environments of workplace settings. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies, non-profit agencies, universities, the judiciary, police, sports teams, religious institutions, community groups, and youth and families. Leslie helps the TRHT Center move its bold vision and far-reaching mission from concept to action through the design and facilitation of strategic planning events and meetings for the Center’s leadership

Claire Li is a sophomore at Duke University, considering majoring in public policy or cultural anthropology. Her hometown is Nanjing, China. Claire draws significant inspiration from her first semester experience at Duke in a course on “Global ‘Mixed Race’ Studies “ as part of the Humanitarian Challenges FOCUS cluster. Connected with the TRHT vision, she wants to help foster meaningful conversations and narratives that promote comprehension, compassion, and coalition to embrace humanity and diversity.

Karina Lu is a sophomore at Duke University majoring in History with a minor in French Studies and potentially Cultural Anthropology. Karina is from Seattle, Washington and Beijing, China. Having taken a course on “Global ‘Mixed Race’ Studies” as part of the Humanitarian Challenges FOCUS cluster and attended the “Racial Healing, Hope, and the Solidarity Dividend” event hosted by the Duke TRHT Center, Karina felt deeply inspired by and connected to the TRHT Framework and community. She hopes to help extend this opportunity and TRHT’s insight to others on campus and beyond. In the future, she hopes to pursue law and research.

Desiree graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a minor in African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, and first joined the TRHT team as an intern during her final undergraduate semester. She is a second-year student at Duke Divinity School pursuing her Master’s in Divinity. Desiree is passionate about working in the community. She believes in the importance of racial healing as exemplified by the work of the TRHT center. Desiree plans to be an advocate for marginalized communities in her future work.

Kyle MacLellan is a sophomore at Duke University pursuing a Program II in Social Inequities in the Urban Environment. She is a B.N. Duke Scholar from Monroe, North Carolina. After attending multiple TRHT events, Kyle became invested in the center’s mission and inclusive methodology. She hopes to help the Center grow its presence on Duke’s campus and beyond.

David Malone led Duke Service-Learning as faculty director from 2006-2022 and currently serves as the inaugural Faculty Scholar.  His career at Duke has spanned over 35 years, and he continues to be a trusted colleague across campus. Dr. Malone served as Chair of the Program in Education and Director of Undergraduate Studies of Education.  He serves on multiple university committees, teaches service-learning courses in Educational Psychology, and directs DukeEngage in Boston. Dr. Malone has been extensively involved in the field of service-learning through the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), the International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education (ICSLTE), and NC Campus Engage.

Najla McClain is the Program Coordinator for the Duke Health Center for Interprofessional Education and Care (IPEC).  Najla works with the IPEC team to develop and disseminate educational programs on interprofessional collaborative practice into classrooms and clinics across the health system. Najla earned her Bachelor’s degree from Meredith College with a major in dance.  She is active in Duke and Durham community organizations, including the Partnership for Healthy Durham, READI Community Advisory Council, and NC African American Cultural Celebration Advisory Board.

Maddie Morrison is a sophomore at Duke University, planning on double majoring in Global Health and either Biology or Psychology. She is originally from Portland, Maine. Maddie developed a strong passion for social justice and racial healing through her exploration of health inequities and exposure to Duke’s TRHT center through participating in the Humanitarian Challenges FOCUS cluster. Maddie’s career aspirations lie in the fields of public health and/or medicine, where she aims to advocate for initiatives that foster a healthier and more equitable world for all.

Grace Muriithi is a sophomore at Duke University from Dayton, Ohio, planning on double majoring in cultural anthropology and global health studies. After being exposed to some of TRHT’s core tenets through the Humanitarian Challenges FOCUS course on “Global ‘Mixed Race’ Studies”, she wants to learn more about the center and its values. In the future, she hopes to transfer the lessons learned from the TRHT initiative to a career in healthcare, advocating for and supporting marginalized communities.

Jon Powell is an attorney, a law professor at Campbell University in Raleigh, NC, and the director of the Restorative Justice Clinic. The Restorative Justice Clinic receives referrals from the juvenile justice system, adult criminal courts, and Wake County Schools. The clinic involves law students in all aspects of Restorative Justice which include Victim/Offender Dialogue in schools and court cases as well as victim impact work through restorative circles in prisons. Prior to working at Campbell University and the Restorative Justice Clinic, Jon practiced criminal defense law in Wake and Harnett counties. He received his law degree from Campbell University in 1998.

Charmaine Royal is the Robert O. Keohane Professor of African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health, and Family Medicine & Community Health at Duke University. She directs the Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation and the Duke Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference. She is a human geneticist and bioethicist, whose research, scholarship, and teaching focus on ethical, social, scientific, and clinical implications of human genetics and genomics, particularly issues at the intersection of genetics and “race”. A fundamental aim of her work is to dismantle ideologies and systems of racial hierarchy in research, healthcare, and society.

Lorrie Schmid, Ph.D. serves as research methodologist and analyst for both GRID and TRHT, based in the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). Her work focuses on data management and statistical analysis which includes: data documentation, merging and linking disparate data sources, utilizing administrative records, and sensitive as well as statistical data analysis – focusing on descriptive and inferential statistics, latent modeling processes for creating subgroupings, utilizing mediation and moderation in determining for whom interventions and implementations work and do not work. She holds a Ph.D. in education psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Megan Stanley is a social worker and organizer from Durham, NC. She received her master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. She currently serves as the College Readiness & Success Coordinator at Student U, where she supports first-generation college students and imagines new learning environments to address educational equity in our communities. Megan has served as a racial healing program coordinator at the Duke TRHT Center, a community educator and curriculum developer to preserve local civil rights history and as a racial equity and justice facilitator.

Tom Szigethy has been the Associate Dean/Director of DuWell at Duke University since 2008. DuWell is the public health and outreach branch of Wellness at Duke. Tom teaches students how to manage risk in their lives and to actively promote behaviors to foster a sense of well-being. He is a strong advocate of shaping one’s environment and community to foster healthy and safe communities. Previously, Tom was the Director of the Department of Alcohol and other Substance Abuse Prevention at the University of Connecticut. He comes to higher education work after 15 years in the field of Social Work.

Gwenn Weaver is an independent consultant.  She has served as a TRHT healing circle co-facilitator/practitioner and trainer for the American Library Association (ALA), and the American Association of Colleges & Universities and has co-facilitated racial healing circles for other organizations including nonprofits, educational institutions, and libraries. Gwenn’s TRHT work intersects with her work in literacy, especially adult literacy, and digital equity.  Currently, she is chair of the board for the Durham Literacy Center and chair of the Committee on Literacy of the ALA. She serves on the boards of Digital Durham and the National Coalition for Literacy, on the Open Door Collective Steering Committee, and as a member of the North Carolina Digital Equity and Inclusion Collaborative.

Kaitlyn Williams is a sophomore at Duke University from Stafford, Virginia. She plans to obtain an interdepartmental major in Environmental Science & Policy and Cultural Anthropology and has a strong interest in environmental equity work and environmental law. She hopes to one day make an impact on the lives of minority communities across the globe, but first wants to start by helping students and the local community which she hopes working with the TRHT initiative will allow her to do.