IThrive Collective
Join us in a BIPOC Faculty Counterspace to Inform Transformation in the Academy
The IThrive Collective is a supported networking and professional development community offering virtual gatherings (webinars), coffee hours, and meet-ups at national convenings. The collective’s aim is to enhance the professional success of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) STEM faculty and promote connection, collaboration, and community among BIPOC and ally/other-identified faculty across Aspire Alliance institutions. The collective aims to establish a counterspace* for BIPOC STEM faculty across the country.
Ultimately, the collective is designed to gather input and reflection from BIPOC voices to inform institutional transformation efforts towards increased diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM.
Who Can Join?
Membership is currently limited to BIPOC** and ally/other-identified*** STEM faculty, leaders, and change makers at institutions that are members of the NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance, including participants and graduates of the IAspire Leadership Academy. IThrive Collective events will provide separate spaces for BIPOC faculty and ally/other-identified faculty.
Want to stay updated on IThrive?
IThrive Collective Definitions
*Counterspaces are sites of resistance and adaptive response that support and enable individuals from marginalized groups to collectively push back on dominant narratives. Learn more at https://www.campus-counterspaces.com.
**Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We are inspired, in part, by the work and design of the BIPOC Project.
**** Ally/other-identified individuals are people who do not identify as BIPOC but are invested in equity-focused transformation in the STEM academy. We invite all ally/other-identified folks who may be at various places in their journey of learning/un-learning. Self-identification as an "ally" does not always result in action that aligns with the needs and desires of BIPOC folk. The IThrive "ally" community seeks to be guided by our BIPOC members, and has considered self-descriptors such as "advocate", "partner", and "DEI activist" to better reflect our roles and responsibilities in service of the BIPOC counterspace.
Upcoming Gatherings
IThrive 2022-2023
Based on discussion with IThrive Collective members, the IThrive planning team has set the following agenda for 2022-2023. Virtual Gatherings are intended as working meetings to identify sites and strategies for collective action. Virtual Coffee Hours are intended as support spaces for BIPOC faculty who are seeking community, mutual aid, and relationship building. In addition, when possible, we'll engage in informal meet-ups at national meetings to further community building.
October 2022
Virtual Gathering:
Join us on October 31 from 12:00 - 1:30 PM ET.
November 2022
Virtual Coffee Hour:
Join us on November 15 from 1:30 - 2:30 PM ET.
Meet-up at the NSF AGEP National Research Meeting, Nov 2-4 - Corpus Christi TX
December 2022
Virtual Gathering:
Join us on December 12 from 12:00 - 1:30 PM ET.
January 2023
Virtual Coffee Hour
Join us on January 25, 2023 12;00 - 1:00 PM ET.
February 2023
Virtual Gathering
Join us on February 7 from 12:00 - 1:15 PM ET.
March 2023
Virtual Coffee Hour
Join us on March 20 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET.
April 2023
Virtual Gathering
Join us on April 17 from 12:00 - 1:15 PM ET.
May 2023
Virtual Coffee Hour
Join us on May 10 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET.
June 2023
Virtual Coffee Hour
Join us on June 13 from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET.
Register Here!
July 2023
In-Person Gathering at the 2023 NSF Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Aspire Alliance Summit
Past Gatherings
IThrive 2021-2022
An Ongoing Counterspace Conversation
How do we make the campuses of the IChange Network more inclusive and supportive of BIPOC faculty?
How Institutions Act
Concluded May 9, 2022
How Institutions Feel
Concluded Feb 16, 2022
How Institutions Look
Concluded Nov 30, 2021
Three conversations held with BIPOC and Ally leaders, change makers, and faculty to explore what BIPOC faculty really need from their institutions.
IThrive 2020-2021
Q&A with Professional Society Networks
Concluded May 19, 2021
Laurette Blakey Foster, Ed.D.
HBCU Faculty Development Network
Prairie View A&M University
Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
Professor of Mathematics
Olga Bolden-Tiller, Ph.D.
Minorities In Agriculture Natural Resources And Related Sciences
Tuskegee University
Professor of Animal Sciences
Head - Dept. of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Asst. Dean - College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences
Esther Gonzalez, MPA, MBA
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Programs Manager
Ann Kimble-Hill, Ph.D.
American Chemical Society
Indiana University School of Medicine
Assistant Research Professor of Biochemistry
IUPUI PREP Program Coordinator
Chad Womack, Ph.D.
Ernest E. Just Life Science Society
United Negro College Fund
Senior Director, National STEM Programs and Initiatives
Ask a Research Center Rep: Building Connections to Advance Research Success
Concluded February 12, 2021
Paul Gueye, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Nuclear Physics - Experimental
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL)
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University
Ja’Wanda S. Grant, Ph.D.
Lead, University Engagement and Student Affairs
Office of Research Excellence
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Ellen Morris, Ph.D.
Director, University Partnerships Program
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Blair D. F. Singleton, M.S.
Electrical Engineer, Applied Physics Laboratory
John's Hopkins University
Ask A Program Officer: Building Connections to Advance Research Success
Concluded November 23, 2020
Christine Grant, Ph.D.
Program Director, Engineering Education and Centers Division, National Science Foundation
Desirée L. Salazar, Ph.D.
Program Director, Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Dawn Tilbury, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation
Kristine Willis, Ph.D.
Program Director, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health