The APPAM Equity & Inclusion Young Professional Fellowship will support young professionals from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds at the APPAM Fall Research Conference. Applicants must be within five years of receiving their Masters or PhD Degrees. The recipients will be recognized for their accomplishments and will also have opportunities to formally network with each other, Student Equity and Inclusion Fellowship Recipients and with members of the Policy Council and Diversity Committee. They will also have many opportunities to informally network with other students and professionals during the Annual Fall Research Conference.
Congratulations to the 2023 Equity & Inclusion Fellowship recipients!
Chelsie Dunn, Virginia Commonwealth University
William T. Jackson, American University
Zeeshan Noor, Indiana University
Sean Tan, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Carrie Torres, New York State Homes and Community Renewal
Chelsie Dunn
Chelsie Dunn serves as a senior research associate at the Research Institute for Social Equity within the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Identifying as both a basic and applied researcher, Dunn has more than nine years of experience in public health, health psychology, and community-engaged research. She has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including the 2022 VCU Quest Fund where she is studying equity within housing programs in Virginia.
Dunn’s areas of expertise include: public health, health and social equity, intersectional designs, and community-engaged research. Broadly, her research focuses on reducing health and racial disparities among historically marginalized populations at the intersection of psychology and policy. Dunn has published in reputable journals within her field, including Body Image and led community workshops. Using an intersectional lens, she continues to amplify the voices and needs of the community through translational research. Prior to joining VCU, Dunn served as a national board member for the Association of Black Psychologists. Dunn earned her BA in psychology from Wesleyan College, MPH in urban public health from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science, and PhD in health psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
William T. Jackson
William T. Jackson is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University’s School of Public Affairs. He earned his Ph.D. in Public Affairs from Florida International University. His research tests the explanatory power of various theories of public administration, such as political control of the bureaucracy, representative bureaucracy, feminine leadership, intersectionality, and organizational socialization. Specifically, he is interested in whether these theories can help us understand disparities in public service delivery among social groups.
His current work examines disparities in justice provision, policing, and education and has been published in Public Administration Review (PAR), “Justice in Black and Brown: The Impact of Political Control and Representative Bureaucracy on Street Level Outcomes” (2022) and “Feminine Leadership and Juvenile Justice Outcomes: The Florida Experience” (2023). Dr. Jackson worked with the FIU Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center and the Urban League of Broward County. He is also the Founder and former Board President for The Justice Project of South Florida (JPSFL). This nonprofit organization aims to reduce the arrests and incarceration of youth, increase cultural competency, racial equity, and social justice as well as promote positive interactions between law enforcement and communities of color.
Zeeshan Noor
Zeeshan Noor is a Research Manager and Affiliate Faculty at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Affairs degree with a concentration in public and nonprofit management from the University of Texas at Dallas. His research focuses on philanthropy, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the use of digital media in the public and nonprofit sectors, and organizational leadership.
Dr. Noor serves as the Chair of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)’s Section on Professional and Organizational Development (SPOD), and a Co-Chair for the ASPA Annual Global Public Administration Capstone Panel Committee. In addition, he serves on the board of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Membership Committee. Dr. Noor is a proud recipient of the 2021 ARNOVA Emerging Scholar Award, 2021 ASPA SICA David Gould Scholar Award, 2020 ARNOVA Doctoral Fellowship, and 2019 ARNOVA Diversity Fellowship. In addition, Dr. Noor is a recipient of several grants and scholarships. He was inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society as a lifetime member in 2015 by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Dr. Noor is passionate about traveling, photography, and graphic design.
Sean Tan
Sean Tan, MPP, is a Senior Public Administration Analyst at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR). At the Center, he investigates disparities in population health and utilizes the California Health Interview Survey data, the nation’s largest state health survey, to advance evidence-based interventions and policies to achieve population health equity in California. His research interests and expertise include health care coverage, access to care, and using social determinants of health framework to examine health inequities. He is also passionate about addressing health inequities that affect low-income, immigrant, LGBTQ, and communities of color.
Prior to UCLA CHPR, Sean worked at the UC Merced Department of Public Health examining housing and health policies in California’s Central Valley. He has also worked at the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and at Southern California Grantmakers to address issues pertaining to immigration, public health, and state/local governance. Sean graduated from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs with a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) and a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Carrie Torres
Carrie Torres is Vice President of the Department Empowerment, Compliance, and Opportunity for New York State Homes and Community Renewal, with a mission to build, preserve, and protect affordable housing and increase homeownership. Carrie's objective is to promote equitable access to economic opportunities for minority and women owned business enterprises plus service disabled and veteran owned business enterprises by eliminating barriers to their participation in NYS contracting. She is currently serving on the Governor’s Interagency Taskforce on Health Equity and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was previously a Senior Advisor and Strategic Projects Manager for the Fund for Public Housing and the New York City Housing Authority. A public/private partnership where she led fundraising initiatives to develop and support resident programs for over 500,000 residents in North America's largest public housing authority.
Carrie is an Adjunct Professor of Data Analytics in the Management & Information Technology Department at St. Francis College and Graduate Consumer Analytics Program at LIM College. She serves as a board member for Active Plus NYC, a non-profit serving at-risk youth with fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and leadership skills. She is also committed to serving on the Africa- Steering Committee for Sunday Funds, a non-profit organization that provides interest free microfinance opportunities to small business enterprises globally. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from SUNY New Paltz and a Master of Science in Urban Policy and Leadership from CUNY Hunter College.