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Staff

Stephen Black                  Director

112 Temple Tutwiler

(205) 348-6496

Stephen.Black@ua.edu

Stephen Black studied American history at The University of Pennsylvania where he completed his bachelor’s degree in 1993, graduating magna cum laude, before attending Yale Law School where he graduated in 1997.  Following law school, Stephen moved to Birmingham to become involved in public affairs and to practice law at the firm Maynard, Cooper & Gale.  After three years in private practice, he spent a year serving as an assistant to the Governor, where he researched policy issues and worked on economic development projects.  In 2004, he created Impact: An Alabama Student Service Initiative, the state’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and implementing substantive service-learning projects in coordination with select universities and junior colleges throughout the state. 

Rachael Jones                  Program Assistant

100 Temple Tutwiler

(205) 348-6490

Rjones2@aalan.ua.edu

Rachael is responsible for managing the logistics of the Center’s day-to-day operations. She serves as the main liaison to other offices within the University as well as to external contacts. Rachael has worked for The University of Alabama since 1996.

Sarah Louise Smith Research Assistant

110 Temple Tutwiler

(205) 348-6494

slsmith@impactalabama.org

Initiatives: SaveFirst, Ethics & Social Responsibility Scholar

Sarah Louise Smith, a native of Tuscaloosa, graduated cum laude from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in June 2006 with a B.A. in political economy. During her time at Williams, Sarah Louise assisted teachers within the classroom and tutored students at Williamstown Elementary School.  She was active in the advocacy and public awareness efforts of the Student Global AIDS Campaign, served on a student government faculty committee, and taught Sunday school for children at her local church.  In 2005, Sarah Louise worked with the Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria, an international organization that encourages cross-cultural dialogue by sponsoring forums on current international issues.  She has interned for U.S. Representatives John W. Olver of Massachusetts and Artur Davis of Alabama.  She has also spent part of each summer since high school working at the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 

Allison Stagg           Research Project Coordinator

113 Temple Tutwiler

(205) 348-6495

Allison.S.Stagg@ua.edu

Initiatives: Service Learning, Service Learning Pro, Documenting Justice, Moral Forum, Nonprofit Enrichment Team, CESR website

Allison joined the Center in July 2005 after completing her B.S. in Psychology at Birmingham-Southern College, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  While at ‘Southern, Allison founded Southern Political Action & Civic Engagement (SPACE), a student organization dedicated to nurturing student engagement and fostering political dialogue; served as the editor of the Compass, a journal of Leadership and Service; and participated in a service-learning team to Maputo, Mozambique in January 2005.  She also conducted significant research on the civic engagement and political participation of college students and student perceptions of service and politics, focusing in particular on linking service learning and civic education to political activism for social change. Prior to joining the Center, Allison interned at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Maryland, College Park, and A+ Education Foundation in Montgomery, Alabama. 

Lindsey Thomas               Research Project Coordinator

104 Temple Tutwiler

(205) 348-6491

lmthomas@aalan.ua.edu

Initiatives: Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative, Service Learning Pro, Tuscaloosa Academic Enrichment, FocusFirst

Lindsey Thomas, from Greensboro, AL, joined CESR in June 2007, after graduating summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies in May 2007.  While at UA, she worked in the Office of the President. She also completed internships for Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Herschel T. Hamner, Jr., and with Child Abuse Prevention Services in Tuscaloosa where she worked with the Nurturing Parenting program.