The NSCAD EDI Steering Group & PADCARI are pleased to welcome Dr. Stephanie Hawley to provide an online lecture on Unlearning and Re-centring Indigenous, Black and Brown Experiences
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 6 – 7 p.m. (ADT)
Reclaiming our inherent humanity as individuals, communities, organizations, and institutions requires that we address the past, present and future of a broken world.
While social justice movements are rising and resurging across this continent and around the world, extraordinarily little changes are starting in the structures, hearts and minds of people who benefit from the world as it currently operates. Statistically, we know who will predictably have access to power and resources to flourish and benefit and those groups who will predictably be exploited and harmed by current policies and practices.
The discussion will focus on how we unlearn, reclaim, and re-imagine the world needed for the next seven generations by looking to the experiences and strengths of communities with marginalized identities.
Biography: Stephanie Hawley is Austin Independent School District’s (AISD) inaugural equity officer. She leads and promotes collaborative systemic change to support inclusion and equitable outcomes for historically marginalized and underserved students. Dr. Hawley believes a quality education is a human right and promotes leadership development, relationship and community-building, and research-based practices to disrupt inequitable educational practices. Most importantly, she leads districtwide efforts to include and build on the strengths of marginalized student and staff groups and communities.
As a veteran educator with an earned doctorate in higher education leadership from the University of Texas at Austin, she has served as P-12 teacher, professor, higher education administrator and organizational development consultant. In her service as associate vice president of equity and inclusion at Austin Community College (ACC), Dr. Hawley guided the submission of the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center grant application to the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the Kellogg Foundation, galvanizing and leveraging the resources of more than 30 area community organizations and educational institutions.
Dr. Hawley organized the first regional racial equity in education summits in 2017 and 2018, attracting hundreds of participants from Central Texas community. With proceeds from the events, she established the St. John Community Re-Entry and Restoration Scholarship, the first endowed scholarship of its kind at ACC, providing support for students formerly involved with the justice system.
She has served on the Mayor’s Taskforce for Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities and is currently serving on the board of directors and executive committee for the Community Advancement Network. As a national and regional panelist and keynote speaker, she discusses issues about the moral imperative of educational equity, social justice in schools and the power of community to promote systemic change.
Recent accolades include:
- New Leaders Council 2020 Progressive Champion Award
- 2020 African American Youth Harvest Foundation’s Changing the Story Award
- DivInc’s 2019 Champion of Change, Program of the Year for ACC’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center planning grant
- City of Austin 2018 Equity Champion Award
- NAACP 2018 Outstanding Leadership Award
- Austin Area Urban League’s 2018 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Legacy Award
- the 2018 AFTV 5 Equity & Inclusion Champion Award
- Counter Balance: ATX 2018 Community Mother Award
- YWCA of Austin’s 2017 Legacy Award for racial equity work in higher education