Denice Ward Hood - Director
Denice Ward Hood, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinois. Dr. Hood is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in the College of Education at the University of Illinois -Urbana-Champaign. From 2016-2019, she served as the Director of Online Programs in the College of Education. Dr. Hood was also the Director of Graduate Studies in the EPOL department, 2016-2018. From 2016 – 2019, she was the faculty coordinator for the Diversity and Equity in Education degree program. Dr. Hood has over 30 years of experience in program evaluation, and learning outcomes assessment, and social science research, particularly within higher education.
Dr. Hood’s courses include College Student Development, The College Student, Introduction to Diversity and Equity, Testing & Measurement, Student Affairs Administration, Program Evaluation, Race, Gender and Sexuality Issues, and several doctoral research seminars.
Her engagement in the professional community includes serving as the president of the Arizona Educational Research Association and the program chair for the Multiethnic Issues in Evaluation Topical Interest Group (TIG) of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). The breadth of Dr. Hood’s evaluation projects includes program evaluation at the local and state level as well as serving as developing the evaluation plan and serving as the external evaluator for numerous NSF grants.
Dr. Hood completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Arizona State University.
Timothy Leyhe - Administrative Aide
Timothy Leyhe proudly served four honorable years as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, where he embrace the core values of honor, courage, and commitment. He developed a deep dedication to service that continues to shape his work today. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, bringing a strong academic foundation to his work in equity and community engagement. Timothy has been a dedicated part of the CREA team for nearly seven years, where he thrives on cross-collaboration and staying persistent enough to help see new projects across the finish line. His work is grounded in a spirit of teamwork, innovation, and follow-through. As the proud father to Isabelle and Desmond, Tim is deeply rooted in his hometown and passionate about giving back. As a lifelong learner and “townie,” he is always looking for meaningful ways to educate, support and uplift the local community through strong relationships and purposeful action.
Anthony B. Sullers Jr. - Postdoctoral Research Associate
Anthony B. Sullers Jr., Ph.D. is a researcher, educator, and bridge-builder who serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate for the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Sullers has over 10 years of experience in higher education policy, program evaluation, and learning outcomes assessment, particularly within a culturally responsive and trauma-informed framework. His research and teaching focus on the intersectional impacts of race, organizational culture, and policy on the health and education outcomes of underserved populations in North America and beyond. Dr. Sullers completed a bachelor’s degree in Community Health, a master’s degree in Higher Education, and earned his Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership all at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Santiago Ospina Tabares - Graduate Research Assistant
Santiago Ospina Tabares is a first-year Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned a Master’s degree in the same program in 2023. Previously, he gained professional experience in the implementation of learning technologies among underserved populations in Colombia. Recently, he has been involved in evaluation work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in computer science education. His research interests are centered around culturally responsive evaluation, the design and implementation of learning technologies, computer science education, and multicultural education.
Cecilia Vaughn-Guy - Graduate Research Assistant
Cecilia Vaughn-Guy is a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership with dual concentrations in Human Resource Development and Diversity and Equity in Education. Prior to matriculation into this program, she worked as an occupational therapist in clinical, hospital-based and academic settings. Her research interest centers on amplifying the unheard voices of Black women who are frontline healthcare workers, reimagining equitable and sustainable organizational hierarchy, culturally responsive evaluation, and creating and sustaining organizational change through culture.
Giavanna McCall - Graduate Research Assistant
Giavanna S. McCall is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology (Div. of Cognitive Science of Teaching & Learning). Prior to attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western Illinois University in 2014 and a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 2017. Her research interests focus primarily on cognitive aging. More specifically, she is interested in studying the developmental changes that occur in the cognitive processes relevant for sentence comprehension and memory among older adults.