WHO WE ARE

The CRUE center is a collection of individuals committed to transforming education into a socially just experience for all involved. With diverse backgrounds centered in equity work, we are available to work with you as consultants and trainers.

Shelley Zion, Ph.D.
Dr. Zion currently works at the University of Colorado Denver as the Executive Director of Continuing and Professional Education for the School of Education. In addition to that role, she teaches graduate level courses in the teacher education program, conducts research on topics related to school reform and equity, and serves as the executive director of the CRUE center. The CRUE center provides technical assistance and training to schools and districts who are working to address issues of equity in their schools—achievement gaps, disproportionality in special education, disproportionality in discipline, and gaps in graduation and dropout. From 2002-2007, Dr. Zion served as the associate director of two national projects housed at UCD- The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) and the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). These projects focused on eliminating disproportionality in special education, and on creating inclusive classroom environments. Dr. Zion has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research in areas of culturally responsive practice, disproportionality, systems change, school reform, student voice, family involvement, truancy prevention, and delinquency interventions.

Suzanne Arnold, Ph.D.
Dr. Suzanne Arnold received her doctorate from the University of Colorado, Boulder in Research on Teaching and Teacher Education, specializing in Curriculum and Instruction in Content Areas. Her dissertation study analyzed the relationship between teacher beliefs, classroom milieu, subject matter, and enactment in bridging the language gap in the science classroom for English language learners; examining the extent to which teachers take on a dual role as teachers promoting English language and content proficiency. Dr. Arnold has more than 20 years of experience in education working as a high school science educator, professional development designer and facilitator, educational researcher and teacher educator. Her previous work with NCCRESt and NIUSI focused on providing technical assistance and professional development training to districts and state departments of education on culturally responsive educational systems, practices, and pedagogy. Her expertise is in instruction and curriculum in content areas and professional development. Her research interests include literacy and content integration, educational equity issues, and culturally responsive teaching and curriculum development.

Ashley Babjack, Graduate Assistant
Ashley is a native of El Paso, Texas. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in History, Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. At Texas A&M, she was involved in TAMU V-Day and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Aggies that facilitated gender and GLBT educational programming. She is currently in the Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education masters program at University of Colorado at Denver. In both her undergraduate and graduate coursework, she has incorporated classes that are dedicated to racial, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation issues. On a personal level, Ashley has continuously been an advocate for gender equality and LGBT rights. After graduating from the program, she hopes to pursue a doctorate in counseling psychology with an emphasis in gender identity and sexual orientation issues for individuals and families.

Margarita Bianco, Ed.D.
Margarita Bianco received her doctorate degree in Exceptional Student Education from Florida Atlantic University. She has nearly 20 years of classroom teaching experience, most of which was in urban settings, working with students with disabilities and English language learners. Her research interests include gifted students from underrepresented populations including twice-exceptional students and culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Dr. Bianco received the 2004 Outstanding Researcher Award from the Council for Learning Disabilities for her research on the effects of disability labels on teachers' recommendations for gifted programs. Dr. Bianco is currently working at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center.

Gregory A. Diggs, Ph.D.
Dr. Gregory A. Diggs is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Counseling from Tennessee State University (a Historically Black University). He received a Ph.D. in Education (Research and Evaluation Methods) from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Diggs' dissertation examined successful Black students attending a predominately Black High School and was entitled: Yo' Mamma's Oppositional: The Cultural Production of the Educated African-American.

Dr. Diggs teaches research and evaluation methods courses in the department of Educational Psychology. His research interests include program evaluation methods, achievement gaps in education, multicultural education and cultural-ecological theory.

Dr. Diggs has more than 25 years of experience working with diverse individuals and communities on issues such as mental health, substance abuse prevention, education and education policy. Dr. Diggs teaches research and evaluation methods courses in the department of Educational Psychology. His research interests include program evaluation methods, achievement gaps in education, multicultural education and cultural-ecological theory.

Greg is certified as a trainer of trainers for Culturally Responsive Education by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems.

Alana McCoy
Alana is from Denver, Colorado and was schooled at Westminster High School and Regis University. Alana is currently the Director of recruitment for the Urban Community Education Program. She works to enrich the program by engaging students in the community by promoting relationships with organizations geared toward student voice, developing equity in schools, and community empowerment. Alana is deeply committed to promoting social justice and empowering marginalized communities. Alana's interests include slam poetry, roller derby, eating phở, growing vegetables, reading, and making art. Alana's personal theme song is Proud Mary as performed by the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.

Kara Mitchell, Ph.D.
Kara Mitchell received her PhD from Boston College in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on language and literacy. Her dissertation explored the policy and practice of educating multilingual learners as well as their teachers in Massachusetts. She has actively advocated for improved educational opportunities for multilingual learners on both the national and local stage and is committed to striving for systemic improvements in education for multilingual learners and students of color.

Honorine D. Nocon, Ph.D.
Dr. Nocon, who has been at UCDenver since 2002, teaches classes our MA program in Linguistically Diverse Education, our teacher education program, and in the doctoral program, specializing in courses dealing with the role of culture in learning and development. Dr. Nocon is an Affliliate Scholar of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition, University of California San Diego.

Dr. Nocon self-identifies as a sociocultural-historical researcher informed by work in the Vygotskian tradition. As such, the questions driving her research involve the role of culture, broadly understood, in the learning and development, including the acquisition of language and academic content. On an applied level, this has led to research on learning environments and the formation and development of communities of learners among groups of diverse individuals and organizations. Dr. Nocon's work is predominantly qualitative, with an emphasis on ethnography and participant observation. Her current research projects include the study of diverse groups of parents engaged in school governance, the co-construction of a culturally responsive doctoral seminar, and effective approaches to professional development for teachers of linguistically and culturally diverse students.

Bryan Wee, Ph.D.
Dr. Wee is from Singapore but has spent considerable time in the U.S. as an undergraduate and graduate student. In addition to his academic background, Bryan has been involved in nature conservation both in Singapore (National Parks Board) and in the U.S. (Department of Natural Resources and Nature Conservancy). His interest in exploring how children make sense of the environment across cultures and societies stems from his experiences growing up in a highly urbanized setting where the world is viewed through multiple lenses. Consequently, Bryan's research and teaching agenda is focus on developing a deeper understanding and appreciation of human-environment interactions. Related areas of research/teaching include multiculturalism in environmental science and environmental literacy.

Hannah Withrow, Graduate Assistant
Hannah Withrow is a graduate assistant for the CRUE Center and is currently working on her Master's in Counseling Psychology at UC Denver focusing on Clinical Mental Health and Multicultural Counseling. Hannah is originally from Seattle, Washington. She holds a BA from the University of Washington and an MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland University. Hannah developed a passion for social justice while working with homeless and foster youth in Seattle and has worked for a variety of non-profit organizations in Seattle and Denver. Also, she only wears fake fur