NCACTE

North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

The NCACTE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion SIG

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Special Interest Group (DEI SIG) is one of two special interest groups of the NC Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. This SIG was formed in summer 2020 as a response to the continued violence and harm inflicted upon Black Americans in the United States. At that time, our parent organization, the NCACTE released a Position of Solidarity, which included the call for our organization to:

1. explore those barriers which may prevent black and brown students from entering teacher preparation programs and work[..] to remove these barriers; 

2. promote collaboration among all EPPs across North Carolina to establish honest, open and productive dialogue surrounding systemic racism within our society; and 

3. continue to work towards creating a more equitable “face” of North Carolina’s teaching force to ensure that ALL P-16 students are represented in this face. (NCACTE, 2020).

As a result of this call to action, a group of like-minded staff and faculty members from Educator Preparation Programs across the state, gathered together to create this SIG.  Together, we aim to facilitate the aforementioned action items by creating opportunities for our members and other key stakeholders to engage in productive dialogue which leads to an improvement in practices, policies, and opportunities which facilitiate a more diverse teacher force across our state as well as the development of anti-racist educators at all levels of our P-16 system. 

Examples of our work thus far include:

  • Featured presentations at NCACTE 2020, 2021, and 2022
  • Statewide virtual panels on teacher recruitment 
  • Interactive data gathering sessions from stakeholders across the state



As we move forward in our work, we would like to:

  • Offer more professional development opportunities - virtual and in person
  • Create opportunities for like-minded folks to problem-solve and share best practices
  • Facilitate connections across institutions for funding and publishing in DEI
  • Leverage the expertise that exists in this state to advocate for policy change at local, regional, and state levels



If this work interests you, fill out the interest form to be on our listserv.


Current DEI SIG leadership
Chair  2022-2024: Dr. Brenda Kennedy, Winston Salem State University
Vice Chair  2022 -2025  (VC becomes chair 2024-2025): Dr. Nancy Ruppert, University of North Carolina at Asheville
Secretary/Treasurer 2022-2024: Dr. Melanie Keel, Wingate University

At-Large Member: Dr. Heather Bower, Meredith College
At-large Member: Dr. Ruby Bell, Mount Olive College
At-large Member: Dr. Sarah Cannon, NC State University

At-large Member: Dr. Jennifer Russell, William Peace University
At-large Member: Dr. Lane Wesson, Gardner-Webb University
At-large Member: Dr. Brian Williams, NC A&T University