Meet the IDEI Team
Dr. Quincy A. Bevely
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
qbevely@providence.edu | 401.865.2889 | he/him/his
Dr. Bevely joined the Providence College (PC) community in July 2016 as the Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Cultural Education while also serving as a Title IX Deputy Coordinator. Dr. Bevely transitioned into the role of Assistant Vice President for Institutional Diversity and the Title VI Coordinator in March 2019. Dr. Bevely was appointed as the inaugural vice president for institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion at Providence College in the Summer of 2023.
Dr. Bevely has a background in Student Affairs, specifically working in Housing and Dining Services at Kansas State University for 4 years and the Dean of Students Office at PC for 3 years. Dr. Bevely brings to the Office of Institutional Diversity a blend of experiences through his intentionality in creating diverse formal and informal curricula spaces, inclusive programs, and equitable initiatives. Dr. Bevely serves as an Adjunct Professor at PC. He has facilitated courses in Global Studies, Elementary and Special Education, the Development of Western Civilization, and the Graduate Studies Program in Higher Education.
In addition, Dr. Bevely co-directs the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy (D.I.D.) Research Lab and Community D.I.D. Walls across the campus. The D.I.D. Lab critically engages PC community members with disputed questions using a deliberative, reflective, and community-based practice to foster civic discourse across differences. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Bevely is passionate about supporting underrepresented college students in their pursuit of higher education. Dr. Bevely has advised various multicultural organizations, which include the following: The Peer Mentoring Program (PMP), Horizons, The Student Congress, Brotherhood, and the Board of Multicultural Student Affairs (BMSA).
Dr. Bevely earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Black Studies and an M.S.Ed. in Adult and Higher Education from Northern Illinois University. Dr. Bevely earned a Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Development from Kansas State University.
Dr. Saaid Mendoza
Interim Assistant Vice President for DEI
Faculty in Residence
smendoza@providence.edu | 401.865.2614 | he/him/his
Dr. Saaid A. Mendoza joined the faculty at Providence College in 2014 and is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology. He graduated with honors with a BA in psychology from Rice University and earned his PhD from New York University in Social & Organizational Psychology. Dr. Mendoza serves as the principal investigator and director of the Social Perception & Attitudes Lab, which investigates how intergroup biases develop, how they are subtly expressed, and how they can be reduced. He has published extensively in this area and regularly teaches relevant courses on Social Psychology, the Psychology of Gender, Industrial & Organizational Psychology, and an advanced seminar on Stereotypes & Prejudice.
Due to his scholarly expertise and knowledge of quantitative methods, he was invited to join the IDEI team as a faculty-in-residence in 2019. In this role, he has developed workshops on implicit bias and inclusive pedagogy, as well as helped plan campus-wide DEI initiatives and overseen assessment strategy. As a Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy Faculty Fellow, he is committed to creating safe spaces and facilitating conversations across differences. For his efforts, he was selected as the 2021 recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Award and was recently named the 2023 Joseph R. Accinno Teaching Award winner, given to the faculty member who “best exhibits excellence in teaching, passion, and enthusiasm for learning, and genuine concern for students’ academic and personal growth.”
He is currently serving as the interim Assistant Vice President for IDEI and will chair the search for the permanent AVP, as well as help with assessment of the campus climate to inform IDEI priorities and practices.
Perla Castillo Calderon
Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for Student Success
pcastil1@providence.edu | 401.865.1018 | she/her/hers
Perla Castillo Calderon is the Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Student Success. Perla is a proud double Friar; she earned a B.A. in Public and Community Studies in 2020 and an M.Ed. in Higher Education in 2022 from Providence College. During Perla’s graduate studies, she served as the Graduate Assistant for IDEI and the Graduate Intern at the Center for Global Education. Throughout her undergraduate years, Perla served as a Coordinator for the First-Generation Peer Mentoring Program (PMP), a first-generation group that supports students throughout their college journey, a Resident Assistant, and a Research Fellow for the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy (DID) Wall.
Perla is excited to utilize the personal and professional experiences acquired at Providence College to create opportunities and educational experiences for students to engage in active citizenship to advance DEI and Student Success at Providence College.
E Corry Kole
Director of DEI Education & Professional Development
ecorry@providence.edu | 401.865.1910 | they/ them/their
E Corry Kole is the Director of DEI Education & Professional Development, LGBTQ+ Liaison, working through IDEI and Mission & Ministry. E and Professor Dana Dillon (Theological Praxis Consultant) will launch a multiphase coalition-building process to strengthen the College’s inclusion and nurture of LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff.
E lives in the South Side of Providence with her two exhausting (but cute) toddlers. E holds a B.A. from Wheaton College (MA) in English, certificates from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is a licensed birth doula through Shafia Monroe Consulting. E spent 8 years on staff with InterVarsity/USA, an interdenominational campus ministry, and oversaw student movements on campuses across Rhode Island and Southeast MA as the Associate Area Director with an aim to create faith-based communities that were truly multiethnic and inclusive to folx across the sexual and gender identity spectrum. E’s the Director for Anti-Racism Research & Training through Sub: Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that started to “clear the path for Black college students,” and is passionate about developing white Americans in anti-racist discipleship. In their “free time,” when they are not listening to podcasts about dismantling white supremacy or changing diapers, you’ll find them driving away into the night to come alongside birthing families as a doula through their business Ezer Birth Collective.
Sokeo Ros
Director for the Center at Moore Hall & Director of the PC Smith Hill Annex
sros@providence.edu | 401.865.1912| he/him/his
Sokeo was born in a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand, arriving in the United States at the age of three. He has been performing and developing choreographies with professional dance companies ranging from Carriage House Performers to Everett since his sophomore year in high school. He is also the director of the hip-hop based company Case Closed!, which he founded in 2004. His performance From Refugee Camp to Project, which tells of his experiences of being born in a Thailand refugee camp and living in an impoverished neighborhood in the US, has been adapted and performed throughout the country, including at Providence College in partnership with Asian Am, Center at Moore Hall, and School of Professional Studies. Sokeo’s work as an educator focuses on teaching and mentoring K-12 students and incarcerated youth to help them understand their own experiences of trauma and develop healthy coping practices. Sokeo applies his knowledge of arts-based pedagogies, community organizing and nonviolence, and diverse artist communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to develop programming for the Center and advance our ability to support and empower PC students.
Dr. Christopher Chambers
Faculty in Residence — Center at Moore Hall
cchambe4@providence.edu | 401.865.2125| he/him/his
Dr. Christopher Chambers joined Providence College in 2018 as an assistant professor of sociology. Dr. Chambers earned a B.A. in Political Science from Drew University, a M.A. in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Florida and Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining Providence College, he was an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University where he was recognized for his teaching and mentorship by the Sociology Graduate Student Society.
Dr. Chambers’ research uses an intersectional lens to study the formation and expression of individual and collective black identities and seeks to specifically highlight the ways that gender and sexuality influence those processes. His research hopes to shed light on the inconsistencies, paradoxes, tensions and diversity of black life as it is lived in the context of racial hierarchy in America. He has written on social theories of racism and on black gay men’s identities. At Providence College, Dr. Chambers teaches undergraduate classes in Introduction to Sociology, Social Theory and Race, Class and Gender; and he has presented on the topic of structural racism.
Cathy O’Leary
Executive Assistant
coleary5@providence.edu | 401.865.2836 | she/her/hers
Cathy O’Leary joined the Office of Institutional Diversity in 2014; she brings over 30 years of administrative knowledge and experience to the College. Prior to joining Providence College, she served as the office administrator for Arpin Group’s International Division, where she worked closely with management, staff members, and clients to support an efficient and successful operation. Ms. O’Leary supports the VP, AVP, and Directors of the IDEI division, is responsible for the administrative operations of both Office of Institutional Diversity and the Center @ Moore Hall, and serves as a front-line resource for the division.
Dr. Kara Cebulko
Campus Immigration Liaison
kcebulko@providence.edu| 401.865.2515 | she/her/hers
Kara Cebulko joined Providence College in 2009 is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology with a joint appointment in the Department of Global Studies. She was appointed as the College’s Campus Immigration Liaison in 2018. Kara has her B.A. in Psychology from DePauw University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Indiana University.
Dr. Cebulko ‘s research and teaching is motivated by a deep commitment to human rights. For the past 15 years, she has investigated how immigration status, race and other forms of inequality shape the transition to and experience of young adulthood for 1.5- generation immigrants (immigrants born abroad but largely raised in the US). She teaches courses on globalization, migration and borders including a Global Service Learning course to San Diego/Tijuana, Mexico every Spring. She loves co-facilitating this course with students and local community partners. Dr. Cebulko is the author of one book Documented, Undocumented, and Something Else: The Incorporation of Children of Brazilian Immigrants and has published a number of journal articles.
