Brotherhood Initiative
Project Team
Joe Lott, PhD, is the Principal Investigator of the Brotherhood Initiative and an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington. He studies racial identity development and civic engagement among Black students in college, the impact of college experiences on civic and political dispositions, and how to change the college-going culture through parent-school-community partnerships. His emerging research interests revolve around how to leverage university-community partnerships to foster wellness and educational achievement for males of color along the P-20 continuum. He teaches classes on applied statistics, civic engagement in higher education, school-community partnerships, sociology of education, and student development.
Theresa Ling Yeh, PhD, is the Director of Research and Programs, overseeing the research-to-practice components of the Brotherhood Initiative. Her work involves curriculum design as well as assessment and evaluation, ensuring that these continually inform each other. Her research focuses on the impact of race, gender and socioeconomic status on postsecondary access and engagement, and her areas of expertise include mixed-methods research and program evaluation. She has over 15 years of professional experience working in higher education and non-profit sectors, focusing on postsecondary access and retention, college transfer, service-learning, multicultural affairs, and federal TRIO programs.
Paul Metellus is the Assistant Director for Student Success. His primary role includes direct support and advising to the Brotherhood Initiative student scholars. His professional experience spans student conduct, multicultural and diversity affairs and residential life. Paul has a Bachelor of Arts in Religion with a minor in English from the University of Florida and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration of College Student Affairs from the University of South Florida.
Heena Lakhani, PhD, is a Research Scientist with the Brotherhood Initiative. Her research focuses on the design of equitable and rigorous science learning environments for K-16 learners. She is also interested in investigating ways to design learning pathways that coordinate students’ interests, identities, and expertise in the higher education space. She has over 10 years of experience working in STEM education and research in K-12 and higher education settings. Heena holds a PhD in Learning Sciences & Human Development, as well as advanced degrees in Chemistry, Mathematics for Teaching, and Psychological and Brain Sciences.
Tory Brundage is a PhD student in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Washington. His professional experience spans college admissions, academic advising, public health, study abroad and diversity programming with particular emphasis on the experience of students in the college and selective major choice processes. His research seeks to examine science education, identity development and academics success for males of color in pre-health pathways within higher education with particular emphasis on the barriers faces by Black males pursuing medicine at predominantly White institutions.
Kandi Bauman is a PhD student in Higher Education at the University of Washington. She holds a dual Bachelor of Science & Arts and Masters of Public Administration degree from The Evergreen State College. Raised in Southwest Washington, Kandi is a former Gates Millennium Scholar and first-generation college student. With over ten years of experience as a student affairs practitioner, her research interests centers on strengthening post-secondary access and success by developing effective institutional leaders and equity-focused policies.
Siamak Vossoughi is a Teaching Associate with the Brotherhood Initiative. He is an Iranian-American writer and teacher who graduated from the UW after studying English/Education Emphasis. He has worked in K-8 schools for twenty-five years and he has published two short story collections, Better Than War and A Sense of the Whole. His writing has also been published in journals such as Kenyon Review, Missouri Review, Columbia Journal, and Bennington Review. Along with working with the BI, he has also served as artist-in-residence at the UW College of Education.
Ella Harris is Student Success Coordinator with the Brotherhood Initiative. She is a recent first-generation college graduate from Western Washington University with an Honors B.A. in Sociology, and a Minor in Education & Social Justice. Currently she is pursuing a Masters in Education at UW, specifically in Leadership in Higher Education. Her work primarily focuses on the peer mentorship program, as well as student support and advising. Focused on issues of race and ethnicity, Ella’s interests are to continue to explore ways to create pathway programs for students of color. Furthermore, she wants to push boundaries around classical educational practices, and find new ways to innovate and create social-justice oriented methods regarding student support.
John Zagula is an advisor to the Brotherhood Initiative and an adjunct instructor in business planning and entrepreneurship at the Foster School of the University of Washington. After a decades-long career investing in, advising innovators and emerging leaders in technology and business, he is excited to support the work of the Brotherhood Initiative in helping young men of color realize their fullest potential. In addition to ongoing work as a strategic advisor and board director to several private and public businesses, John also serves as a coach and lecturer/speaker on topics ranging from persuasive communications to marketing to strategic planning.
