Each year, the Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist (TFVSA) Program brings to CEW+ a social justice activist whose work affects women and recognizes gender equity issues. One goal of the program is to build the capacity and effectiveness of social activists. This is accomplished by giving the TFVSA time, space, and support to work on a project that would not be possible under the activist’s usual working circumstances. During Winter term 2023, we are excited to be welcoming two TFVSAs to Ann Arbor: Dr. Autumn R. Green and Hyeladzira James Mshelia. 

Dr. Autumn R. Green has worked conducting research to inform advocacy for two decades, building her professional reputation as a groundbreaking scholar-activist and national leader in postsecondary access and success for pregnant and parenting students. She currently leads research and impact projects as a fellow at the Urban Institute and teaches an intergenerational learning seminar at College Unbound. Her work has been widely honored, receiving national awards from the Russell Sage Foundation, the American Association of University Women, Sociologists for Women in Society, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, the Patsy Takemoto Mink Legacy Award, and multiple institutional recognitions. She is co-leading the launch of the SPARK Collaborative (Student Parent Action through Research Knowledge), a decentralized national partnership that aims to accelerate transformational field-level change for student caregivers through strategic coordination, knowledge sharing, data, and information resources, and by building a body of new research that centralizes and centers lived experience as critical expertise to change educational equity and opportunity systems for students with kids. During her residency in Ann Arbor, Dr. Green will leverage her expertise to advise CEW+ on how to enhance their work advocating and supporting student caregivers through research partnerships, exchanging wisdom with U-M student caregivers and CEW+ communities, and seeking input about SPARK’s nationwide strategies.

Hyeladzira James Mshelia is based in Abuja, Nigeria, and is a Programs Associate at Connected Development (CODE) with technical and programmatic management skills in designing and implementing gender equality, environmental and climate-related projects, policy influencing, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene campaigns across Africa. Motivated by her background in leading strategic campaigns, her role at CODE spurs transparency and accountability in governance while urging citizens to track and monitor government projects in their communities. In CODE, she has prioritized leading campaigns that address issues affecting women and girls including gender-responsive budgeting, girl-child education campaigns, and campaigns to eliminate all forms of violence targeted toward women and girls. Her activism is focused on Women’s Rights to position African women’s rights globally through building a Gender Advocate Movement in Africa (GAMA) with the goal of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Goal 5: gender equality and empowering all women and girls. While in residence in Ann Arbor Hyeladzira will work on a campaign to provide a coherent framework and digital platform that seeks to mobilize and empower 500 Gender Advocates (GA) across Africa to consolidate, collaborate, educate, learn and engage on local issues affecting them.

The incoming TFVSAs were selected by a national selection committee comprised of: Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center; Anne Magro, Deputy Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Strategy Impact at George Mason University’s School of Business; Portia Polk, Director of Learning and Advocacy at Generation Hope; and Julie Ridenour, President of Steelcase Foundation.