Annually, we will highlight a lecturer who is an accomplished UMBC McNair alum or UMBC faculty/staff member who is an alum of a McNair program from another university. This year’s lecturer will be Dr. Antoinette Newsome, Associate Director, Moon Shot for Equity at EAB. Dr. Newsome is a McNair Alum from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and former Program Coordinator for the UMBC McNair Scholars Program. Click here to read Dr. Newsome’s full biography.

One’s life experiences can be a roadmap to one’s lifelong purpose! Dr. Newsome’s lecture discusses how her personal and career-based experiences shaped her purpose and passion to create systemic equitable change in higher education. She will share her journey of leveraging equity-centered research in higher education that centers equity-mindedness and Shared Equity Leadership frameworks. Dr. Newsome will demonstrate how her research served as a springboard for driving transformative equity-based change at colleges and universities across the country. Drawing from experiences navigating the complexity of the ivory tower, the lecture will highlight the pivotal role of staying connected to community, advocating for self, and encouraging courageous conversations to advance equity in higher education. Attendees will learn practical strategies to help them foster inclusive communities, empower diverse voices, and drive systemic change for our systemically oppressed populations.