RESEARCH ASSOCIATE and LINE PRODUCER

Dr. Cherise Fine is a faculty member in the department of Educational Leadership at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville where she teaches courses in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program. Dr. Fine’s higher education experience includes academic affairs, student affairs, and athletics with her work primarily centered on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE and ASSOC. PRODUCER

Dr. Laila McCloud is a faculty member in the Educational Leadership and Counseling program at Grand Valley State University. Dr. McCloud's research uses critical theories and methods to explore: (1) the professional and academic socialization of Black college students; (2) the professionalization of multicultural student affairs work; and (3) teaching and learning practices in higher education and student affairs graduate preparation programs.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE and CO-PRODUCER

Dr. J.T. Snipes is a faculty member and department chair of Educational Leadership at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Dr. Snipes’ research interest focuses on religion and spirituality in higher education, African American collegiate students, and critical race theory in education. He teaches courses in qualitative research methods, foundations, and diversity classes in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program.

PHOTOGRAPHER and EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Jaelin Collier is a St. Louis-based photographer, visual artist and creative director of Curry Street Studios. Jaelin’s work captivatingly blends art and entertainment worlds through capturing his subjects in their most intimate moments, telling their stories in an innovative and authentic manner.

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, and EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Dr. Candace N. Hall is a faculty member and graduate program director of the higher education and student affairs program at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Dr. Hall's her research focuses on recruitment, retention, and support of faculty across institutional types to understand faculty job satisfaction. In 2023, Dr. Hall created and produced the award-winning documentary "clusterluck," which highlights the experiences of Black faculty and unpacks what community means for Black scholars within their departments at predominantly white institutions. 

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, and EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Dr. Charles H.F. Davis III is a faculty member in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and director of the Campus Abolition Research Lab at the University of Michigan. Dr. Davis' research and teaching broadly focus on the racialized consequences of higher education on society and the life-affirming possibilities of postsecondary institutions to improve the material conditions of everyday Black people. Dr. Davis has written, photographed, and produced several multidisciplinary projects to include his 2016 documentary film "Saving Tomorrow, Today."