Community Affairs Staff

Lauren Bingham assists with planning program operations to support existing and emerging Community Education programs and provides support for the Center for Community-Based Partnerships at various functions and events. Before joining the Community Affairs staff, she worked as an English teacher for seven years and remains a fierce advocate for students. Lauren earned a BA degree in English with a minor in creative writing, as well as an MA degree in secondary education, both from The University of Alabama. She is pursuing her PhD in instructional leadership with a concentration in social and cultural studies at UA and serves as the faculty/staff advisor for the University’s chapter of Phi Sigma Pi honor society.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-6493 or via email at lgsmith3@ua.edu.

Davia Brown manages the day-to-day financial transactions for the Division and assists in documentation routing for the hiring of personnel, graduate and undergraduate students, and program facilitators. Additionally, she provides financial reporting for the Division. Davia earned a BS in business management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-9857 or via email at dbrown104@ua.edu.

Dr. A. Jackson Harris serves as the Leadership Development and Community Engagement Director, working out of the Crossroads Civic Engagement Center. In this role, he will work closely with community partners on leadership development initiatives across the state. He will also support the expansion of our student internship program, increasing the number of opportunities for undergraduate students to explore life in rural communities and to consider working and serving in them following graduation. His scholarship focuses on civic learning and the polarization of public spheres. Dr. Harris also teaches courses related to civic leadership for UA’s New College, Blount Undergraduate Initiative and the Dr. Robert E. Witt University Fellows Program. He earned a BA in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in community development, an MA in communication studies with a focus in rhetoric and political discourse and a PhD in communication and information sciences, all from The University of Alabama.

He may be reached by phone at (205) 348-6930 or via email at asajharris@ua.edu.

Newlin Humphrey provides campus and community leadership in supporting existing and emerging community and civic engagement learning opportunities for faculty, staff, students and community partners. Her professional background includes a wealth of workshop facilitation experience through the National FFA Organization and other leadership programs, both in the U.S. and internationally. She holds both a BS and an MS in agricultural leadership from Oklahoma State University and is pursuing her PhD in communication and information sciences at The University of Alabama.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-6930 or via email at nahumphrey@ua.edu.

Jolencia Jones leads the Division’s social media efforts and supports its marketing and communication efforts through the written word, visual storytelling, graphic design and website support. She earned a BA degree in public relations with a minor in communication studies from The University of Alabama, as well as an MA degree in community journalism, also from UA. During her time as a graduate student, she worked as a news reporter for Alabama Public Radio.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-9859 or via email at jrjones19@ua.edu.

Diane Kennedy-Jackson provides leadership in the design, production and implementation of communications and marketing strategies for the Division, ensuring alignment with Community Affairs and UA brand standards. She verifies that Division messaging is accurate, clear and consistent for both internal and external audiences. Additionally, she leads Division-wide efforts to ensure that the appropriate timelines, as well as related marketing and communications support materials, are identified and available for the successful implementation of the Division’s programs, projects, initiatives and events. Before working with the Division, she served as a book editor and as a higher education media relations and communications manager. She holds a BS degree in journalism from Ball State University.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-4480 or via email at dkkennedy1@ua.edu.

Liz Lary provides leadership for the events and workshops developed to accomplish the Division’s mission of engaging communities and changing lives. Prior to joining Community Affairs, she served as the administrative coordinator of clinical services at the University Medical Center and as an event coordinator for the School of Social Work, which recognized her with the Staff Excellence Award in 2017. She has also directed and served on the boards of nonprofits and worked in the business community. She holds a BA degree in sociology with a minor in data analysis from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, and is a member of the Leadership Tuscaloosa Class of 2006.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-5743 or via email at ealary@ua.edu.

Jigisha “Jigi” Lokhande supports the marketing and communication efforts of the Division through photography and graphic design. Additionally, she supports the Journal of Community Engagement Scholarship through graphic design and publication layout. Prior to joining the staff, Jigisha served as a graduate assistant for the Division. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Central India School of Fine Arts and an MFA in photography from The University of Alabama. Prior to traveling to the United States to earn her degree from UA, Jigi worked as a graphic designer at Rogue Code, Mumbai, and as a freelance graphic designer.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-2853 or via email at jlokhande@ua.edu.

Dr. Lane McLelland has led the efforts of the Crossroads Civic Engagement Center since 2013. In addition to a BA in interdisciplinary studies and a PhD in social and cultural studies from The University of Alabama, she holds an MA in ethics and a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. She oversees the civic learning and democratic engagement work of Crossroads and conducts research focused on civic discourse strategies and freedom theory.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-6930 or via email at lane.mclelland@ua.edu.

Michael Nichols leads efforts to ensure that the Division’s technology, space and facilities needs are met. He supports the Division’s grant-training workshops by ensuring participants have the materials needed for each phase of the training. Additionally, he hires and supervises the student staff needed to support the programmatic and facilities needs of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships. He earned a BS degree in consumer science from The University of Alabama.

He may be reached by phone at (205) 348-7364 or via email at michael.nichols@ua.edu.

Dr. Fran Oneal leads the Global Café and Language Partners programs in the Division’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships. She has spent the bulk of her career at The University of Alabama, and has traveled extensively and taught overseas, most recently as a Fulbright specialist at American University in Cairo. She recently served as director of the International Honors Program and associate director of the University Honors Program, and as an associate professor in the Honors College. Her most recent role has been as an instructor at UA’s Capstone International Center. She earned her BA degree in political science and economics from Duke University and her PhD in political science from Vanderbilt University.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-7392 or via email at foneal@ua.edu.

Jake Peterson earned both a BS and an MS degree from The University of Alabama and is currently pursuing his PhD, also from UA, in the Kinesiology Department. He leads efforts to introduce students, faculty and staff to the literature, concepts and opportunities that exist for them through community-engaged scholarship. Additionally, he leads the activities of SCOPE (Scholars for Community Outreach, Partnership and Engagement) and provides vision and leadership for the student organizations, activities and events in the Student Community Engagement Center (SCEC). His research focus includes student engagement in physical activity-based programs.

He may be reached by phone at (205) 348-4352 or via email at jtpeterson2@ua.edu.

Dr. Nicole Prewitt has been a CCBP director since 2017. She holds a BS from Alabama A&M University, an MAEd from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an EdD from Ball State University. She has served as a faculty member, an academic dean and a student services dean. She leads community engagement programs including HomeFirst and the Neighborhood Partnership Committee, and shares responsibility for Project CLIMATE. Her research focuses on historically Black colleges and universities and adult, higher and community education.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-9819 or via email at nbprewitt@ua.edu.

Dr. Elisabetta Zengaro serves in a lead role for the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, as well as for the publication of Community Affairs annual reports and program evaluations. She earned a BA degree in journalism and an MS degree in sport and human performance from Delta State University, as well as her PhD in communication and information sciences from The University of Alabama. She has presented her research at national and international conferences and has published in leading research journals.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-3113 or via email at eczengaro@ua.edu.

Dr. Andrea Ziegler has been a CCBP director since 2019. She holds a BA from Samford University, an MEd from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an EdD in educational leadership from The University of Alabama. She served as an elementary teacher in Tennessee and Alabama from 2007 to 2019. She is coauthor of several refereed articles and a book chapter discussing family engagement and educator collaboration.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-9854 or via email at amziegler@ua.edu.