English 1606: “Living Where You Learn: Leadership and Service” Guest Speaker Series

“Communicating Across Divides: Service and Publishing”

Jeffrey R. Hall is currently closely engaged with organizations and nonprofits that work with  low-income and refugee populations in Worcester, MA. In 2016, he graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. After graduation, he discovered a passion for working with under-served populations during a brief stint as a volunteer in a local food pantry. Since 2017, Jeffrey has worked as the retail operations and communications director for the Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope, operating a thrift store, and two other public-facing, non-profit retail programs. He uses his background in publishing to assist the non-profit, Urban Missionaries, with website support, social media outreach, and planning and implementing advertising campaigns. He works closely with other community stakeholders, such as the Worcester County Food Bank and local colleges, in order to gain resources and support for his organization programming. This resource-sharing is central to non-profit work. Through service, outreach and community engagement, Jeffrey hopes to maximize the non-profit's reach and ability to help as many people in the Worcester area as possible.

English 1606: “Living Where You Learn: Leadership and Service” Guest Speaker Series

“Innovating for Impact:

Theophile is a young man who believes in innovation as a key to solving problems and accelerating community development. 

He has embraced a career path in Digital & Creative strategy. 

Alternatives (Media) Inc. is Canada's national environmental media charity, and in the role of Associate Publisher, Theo focuses on product design, marketing strategy and community relationship management."

In 2018, I was named Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) for the City of Worcester, a role that reports to the City Manager and sits on the Executive Cabinet of his administration. I am the youngest female of color and first South Asian to hold this position. In my role, I work to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups who work and volunteer for the city. As the CDO, I create, execute and monitor the City’s diversity and inclusion programming and policies in the areas of hiring, leadership, career pathways and development, diversity inclusion and equity training, strategic planning, as well as recruitment and retention. In my role, I develop policies and programs to attract, retain and promote a diverse workforce for the organization; while performing outreach and building relationships with various community, academic, and business organizations to increase diverse employment opportunities for underrepresented groups.

I was born and raised to first-generation immigrants in Houston, Texas and I decided to bring a combination of civic consciousness, public service and skills of business management into the relatively new field of Diversity and Inclusion in the Northeast. I earned my master’s degree (MBA) in Management and Social Change at Clark University in Worcester and immediately took a position in the Human Resources Department of City Hall in 2017. I know firsthand that immigrants and people of color have been historically marginalized, and my ultimate goal is to bring the voices of the underrepresented to local government, who may otherwise not have the social capital to do so.

Renny completed his Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Brooklyn College in 2018 and is currently a second-year Masters student in the Public Health program at Cornell University. Before joining the Cornell MPH Program, Renny worked for The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, CDC, and SUNY Downstate Medical Center. His Research Focus is Health Equity and Social Justice. Renny wants to understand and address the multiple determinants of health, particularly among disadvantaged, vulnerable, and marginalized groups in both high income and low and middle-income settings.