About the Office of Community Engagement
Community engagement refers to the concept of intentionally pursuing partnerships aimed at producing mutually beneficial outcomes. Ultimately, this work is intended to be responsive to the needs of the community and result in civic-minded approaches.
As a campus, we want to continue enriching our curriculum, research, service learning, and internship experiences in ways that bring the students, faculty, and staff together with the community to apply scholarly and service efforts to address real problems and explore the enormous opportunities in our region. The Office of Community Engagement promotes community-engaged teaching, learning, research, and service. It is our goal to help students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community to connect, collaborate, and partner.
The staff of the Office of Community Engagement provides support to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who seek to participate in a wide variety of community engagement activities, including service learning, volunteerism, community-engaged research, community-engaged internships, and professional development.
Please email us at communityengagement@southalabama.edu or call the main number at (251) 460-6116 to request an appointment.
Joél Lewis Billingsley, Ph.D.
Vice President for Community Engagement
lewis@southalabama.edu
Office Location: Frederick P. Whiddon Administration Building (AD) 245, Community Engagement Administration
Throughout her career, Dr. Joél Lewis Billingsley has dedicated herself to community building, collaboration, and supporting the student experience. From working with non-profit organizations to numerous community projects and initiatives, she has been educating students, conducting research, and facilitating community engagement. Her role as Vice President of Community Engagement focuses on supporting faculty, staff, and students in community building, service learning, community-based research, and service through volunteerism and collaboration. Building on her leadership development and community-building experience, she facilitates campus-wide initiatives to fulfill the mission of the University of South Alabama.
Laurie Childers, Assistant Director of Campus and Community Engagement
lchilders@southalabama.edu
Office Location: Student Center (SC) 240, Volunteerism & South Serves
Ms. Childers is excited to be facilitating the University of South Alabama's commitment to community service. Having worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 15 years, she brings a wealth of experience to this role, from developing community partnerships, managing programs and events, and engaging volunteers to coordinating communication and resource development efforts. Prior to coming to Mobile, AL, Ms. Childers had the opportunity to work in both the Los Angeles and Washington D.C. areas.
Advisory Committee
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Todd Andel | Dean, School of Computing |
| Bri Ard | Executive Director, Global Engagement |
| Adrianna Caffey | Director of Community Engagement, Student Government Association |
| Nicole Carr | Associate Vice President, Student Academic Success |
| Jordan Carter | Assistant Director, Fraternity & Sorority Life |
| Michael Chambers | Chief Economic Development Officer and Associate Vice President for Research, Research and Economic Development |
| Elizabeth Dickson | Sr. Director, Compensation, Employment, and HR Systems |
| Keniesha Fields | Coordinator, Employer Development and Student Experience |
| Jinni Frisbey | Sr. Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator |
| Jay Hunt | Instructor, Management, Mitchell College of Business |
| Pam Johnson | Associate Professor, Adult Health, College of Nursing |
| Lindsay Lum | Director of Agency Relations & Community Engagement, United Way of Southwest Alabama |
| Ashley Marass | Senator, Faculty Senate & Associate Professor, Maternal/Child Health, College of Nursing |
| Doug Marshall | Dean, Honors College |
| Juan Mata | Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences |
| Benterah Morton | Associate Professor, Leadership and Teacher Education, College of Education & Professional Studies |
| Karen Peterson | Senior Instructor, English, College of Arts & Sciences |
| Mario Sheats | Director, Center for Educational Accessibility & Disability Resources |
| Amy Sprinkle | Assistant Professor, Marine Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences |
| Heather Sprinkle | Assistant Director, Student Government Association |
| Tara Thompson | Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, College of Allied Health |
| Joy Washington | Director of Public Relations |
| Kevin White | Professor Emeritus, Civil/Coastal/Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering |
| Ashley Williams | Director, USA Center for Healthy Communities |
| Coleman Wolf | Associate Director, Student Organizations & Leadership |