Staff
Irma McClaurin
Photo by Patrick O’Leary
Associate Vice President and Executive Director of the Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center
626-8839
imcclaur@umn.edu
A native of Chicago, Irma McClaurin is an activist administrator, teacher, and writer with a life-long commitment to the eradication of social inequality. She is Associate Vice President for System Academic Administration, and Executive Director of the new Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center, at the University of Minnesota.
Prior to joining the university, McClaurin was a program officer in education and scholarship at the Ford Foundation, and a tenured faculty in anthropology at the University of Florida. She held the Mott Endowed Chair in Women’s Studies at Bennett College for Women after leaving Fisk University, where she served as deputy provost. In 2000-2001, McClaurin was an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Diplomacy Fellow in the Office of Policy Development and Coordination at USAID.
She holds a B.A. in American studies from Grinnell College and an MFA in English, an MA and Ph.D. in anthropology, all from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has published three books of poetry and her writings have appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines, and newspapers.
She is the author of “Women of Belize: Gender and Change in Central America” (Rutgers 2000 [1996]), and the editor of “Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics” (Rutgers 2001), a Choice Outstanding Academic Title in 2003. She has appeared as a guest on National Public Radio and the Florida Humanities Council Radio program. Her latest efforts to reach multiple publics are the publication of two books for middle school children from Marshall Cavendish: The Future of Black America and The Civil Rights Movement in “The Drama of African American History” series [2007]. She is currently working on a longer-term project on Zora Neale Hurston.
Hawona Sullivan Janzen
University Liaison and Communications Coordinator
626-1526
janze005@umn.edu
Hawona Sullivan Janzen, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, has lived in the Twin Cities since 1986 when she moved here to attend the University of Minnesota. She describes herself as a “born connector” and has spent her career connecting people and organizations to resources, programs, and ultimately to each other.
In her current role, she coordinates UROC’s communications and assists university faculty, staff, and students in connecting to the work of UROC and the UNP.
Her work experiences include serving college-bound youth of color at INROADs/Minneapolis-St. Paul, Inc., working as a study-abroad counselor at the University of Minnesota International Study and Travel Center, and as the catering manager in her family’s restaurant, Lucille’s Kitchen. Prior to joining the UROC/UNP team she worked for 10 years at the University of Minnesota Information Services where she served as director.
Sullivan Janzen earned a B.A. in African and Middle Eastern history from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She lives in St. Paul with her husband and two children.
Makeda Zulu-Gillespie
Photo by Tobechi Tobechukwu
Community Liaison
Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center and University Northside Partnership
(612) 436-5414 phone
zulug001@umn.edu
A native of Minneapolis, Makeda Zulu-Gillespie has worked with youth, families, and communities to realize their self-defined goals for more than 15 years. She holds a B.A. in management from Grambling State University and is a member of the University of Minnesota President’s Emerging Leaders program.
As community liaison for the university’s Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC) and the University Northside Partnership (UNP), Zulu-Gillespie is responsible for coordinating the UNP Community Affairs Committee, responding to community inquiries, representing the UROC at community forums, and serving as a bridge between the University and the North Minneapolis community to ensure clear and coherent communications. She develops outreach and engagement activities that will contribute to the development of sustainable partnerships and programs between the University, North Minneapolis, the city of Minneapolis, and Hennepin County.
Zulu-Gillespie sees her role as one of establishing alliances that use the knowledge and power of communities in conjunction with the resources of the university to make a difference. Zulu-Gillespie is the mother of two beautiful children who remind her daily of the importance of collective work and responsibility. She lives in North Minneapolis with her husband, Darrell.