Since 1986 he has worked for the University in increasingly responsible positions in management and administration, including roles in the divisions of Financial Affairs and University Advancement, as well as in the President’s Office, prior to being named to his current position. Under his leadership, the Division has grown to include the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, which houses a variety of community education and health-related programs geared toward building partnerships and capacity that lift traditionally underserved populations in life-changing ways. Additionally, the Division’s Crossroads Civic Engagement Center develops the civic capacity of students and community partners in ways that foster a thriving democratic society at the Capstone and beyond.

Dr. Pruitt is actively involved in the West Alabama area, where he serves on the Board of Directors for The First Tee of Tuscaloosa, the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, and on the Stillman College Board of Trustees. He is a member of the Tuscaloosa International Rotary Club, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and is a 1995 graduate of Leadership Tuscaloosa, as well as a 2025 graduate of Leadership Alabama. He chairs the Martin Luther King Jr. Realizing the Dream Initiative committee and serves on the leadership team of the annual UA United Way Campaign. In 2008, he was appointed by the governor of Alabama to serve as Education Chair for the West Alabama Regional Action Commission, which covers six Alabama counties. In 2002 the University presented him with the Award for Outstanding Commitment to Public Service. He received the E. Roger Sayers Distinguished Service Award — given to a faculty or staff member who has gone above and beyond their normal duties and performed in an exceptional manner in order to further the mission of UA — in 2016. Dr. Pruitt serves as the immediate past president of the Board of Directors of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC), consisting of institutions located in the United States, Canada, and Nigeria, and in fall 2019 was named to the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement Executive Committee of the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU). Additionally, he is the publisher of the international Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (JCES).

Dr. Pruitt earned his BA in mathematics, his MA in public administration and his PhD in higher education administration, all from The University of Alabama.

Dr. A. Jackson Harris serves as the Executive Director of Community Engagement and Administration in the Office of the Vice President for Community Affairs. In this role he supports strategic initiatives to advance UA’s mission of benefitting the people and places of Alabama. 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 information and sciences, all from The University of Alabama.

He may be reached by phone at (205) 348-7405 or via email at asajharris@ua.edu.

Dr. Jim McLean has held all academic ranks including a Board of Trustees-appointed University Research Professor at The University of Alabama. Administratively, he has been a department head, director, assistant dean and dean. Currently, he is Associate Vice President for Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, an initiative of the Division of Community Affairs. He has directed well over 100 evaluation, assessment and research projects funded for more than $6 million. He has worked with schools, state departments of education and the United States Department of Education. Dr. McLean holds degrees in mathematics, statistics, and research methodology from the University of Florida. He also served his country in the United States Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve.

He may be reached by phone at (205) 348-4189 or via email at jmclean@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.

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 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.

Ginger Hudson supports the development and coordination of community education programs, with a focus on Vision Days. She assists in evaluating the effectiveness of programs, facilitates community partnerships and provides technical assistance to internal and external community partners. Additionally, she works to generate funding support for identified projects and programs. She earned a BS degree in human environmental sciences from The University of Alabama, majoring in human development and family studies with a concentration in adult development. She went on to earn an MA degree in professional counseling from Amridge University in Montgomery.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-2148 or via email at ginger.hudson@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.

Tara Jimerson provides high-level and confidential administrative support; manages our office in Rose 250; and serves as our office liaison to other UA administrative offices, faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, donors, community partners and key stakeholders. She possesses extensive experience providing support for administrative offices and a host of skills that aid the Division in moving its important work forward. She earned a BA degree in history with a minor in art history from The University of Alabama.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-8376 or via email at twjimerson@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 all marketing and communications 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 make certain that the appropriate timelines, as well as related marketing and communication 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 conferences, 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.

Dr. Ed Mullins has been with CCBP since 2008. He has a BA in journalism from The University of Alabama, an MA from Ohio State University and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the former dean of the UA College of Communication, co-author of two books on journalistic principles, recipient of the Council on Community-Based Partnerships’ Distinguished Achievement Award, and a member of the UA Communication Hall of Fame.

He may be reached by phone at (205) 348-7358 or via email at emullins@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.

Carly Titus 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 served as a graduate research assistant in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships and as vice president of SCOPE (Scholars for Community Outreach, Partnership and Engagement). She also leads the UA World Games initiative. Carly earned a BA degree in international studies with a minor in Spanish, as well as an MBA degree with a concentration in international finance, both from The University of Alabama.

She may be reached by phone at (205) 348-1007 or via email at crtitus@ua.edu.

Dr. Elisabetta Zengaro serves in a lead role for the publication of Community Affairs annual reports and program evaluations, as well as for the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship. 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.