Harper College will be closed Monday, December 23 through Wednesday, January 1 for Winter Break.
Isaiah Carrington is a LEAD Faculty Fellow in the Liberal Arts Division and he teaches Speech courses. He hopes to continue to develop his skills as an instructor, creating learning environments that are welcoming and exciting for students. His dedication to creating and developing a pedagogy that suits students of all backgrounds and identities will serve to encourage students to take risks and in a fun and safe classroom. Isaiah is excited for the opportunity to help students grow as learners and as communicators. He also hopes that the skills learned in his classroom will be utilized by students during the rest of their college experience and beyond. Isaiah holds a bachelor’s and master’s in communication studies from Southern Illinois University and focused his studies on Communication Pedagogy.
Dr. Amaziah Zuri Finley is a LEAD Faculty Fellow in Harper College's Anthropology Department. With over a decade of teaching experience, Dr. Finley is passionate about helping students have that "aha" moment. Dr. Finley teaches courses in Introduction to Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and Social Justice at Harper College. Amaziah hopes that her enthusiasm for her subject will inspire more underrepresented students to pursue the discipline. In her opinion, academia should be a welcoming place for diversity, and she's grateful to be teaching at a college that shares that belief. Dr. Finley earned her Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a minor in African American Studies. She has extensive training in the four fields of Anthropology, including Cultural, Linguistic, Biological, and Archaeology, with a focus on cultural and linguistic studies. She was previously both a McNair Scholar and a Diversifying Faculty in Illinois Fellow.
Martinez E-B Garcias is currently a LEAD Faculty Fellow in the Art Department at Harper College. E-B teaches Design 1, Drawing 1, Introduction to Visual Art, and Digital Art and Animation. Before coming to Harper College, E-B was the Hispanic Youth Leadership Program Coordinator with Esperanza Inc., where he developed and facilitated programs and art-driven curriculum that strived for community outreach, family engagement, and citizen involvement. E-B is a native of inner-city Cleveland, OH and now living out of the Chicago, IL area. He is a multidisciplinary artist, who creates works that simulate the cultural, social, and political fog of his upbringing. E-B has illustrated and authored books, has had his works adapted for theater, and has been shown in numerous exhibits nationally. E-B holds a B.F.A. in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art, an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago, and anticipates completing his M.F.A. at Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2026. E-B was also the Art Director for LTD Commodities, where he would oversee the visual aspects of catalog and online advertising. In this role he led an interdisciplinary skilled team toward using product + marketing research to stay on creative trends while building the company's visual identity.
Nicole Mancha is currently a LEAD Faculty Fellow in the English Department at Harper College. In this role, Nicole teaches English courses at the college. Nicole has experience working in both elementary education as well as higher education, previously working in Chicago Public Schools, 4-year universities, and junior colleges. Nicole holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and a Master of Education in Urban Higher Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Nicole is also pursuing her Ph.D. in Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Elizabeth BarahonaElizabeth Barahona is a LEAD Faculty Fellow in the Liberal Arts Division, in addition to teaching Humanities and History courses. She hopes to continue to develop her skills as an educator by helping students gain a variety of skills like argumentation, evidence-based debate, public speaking, political analysis and media literacy. Elizabeth is dedicated to interdisciplinary education as evidenced by her ability to bridge History, Economics, English, and Art History in her classes. Elizabeth’s insights have been disseminated through acclaimed publications, including articles and book reviews in the Immigration and Ethnic History Society, the Journal of Popular Culture, and the Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books at Rutgers University. She teaches incarcerated students and low-income adults in Chicago, as well as working as a curatorial fellow at the Chicago History Museum. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree in history from Duke University, a Master’s in History from Northwestern University, a certificate in Business Management from the Kellogg School of Management. Currently, Elizabeth is a Ph.D. candidate in History at Northwestern University.
Kirby FellisKirby Fellis is a LEAD Faculty Fellow in the Music Department. He serves as the Jazz Ensemble Director at Harper College. Hailing from South Florida, Kirby has been working with award winning artists for over a decade such as Darius Rucker, Kurt Elling, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra and Johnny Mathis. Kirby comes from a lineage of outstanding black male educators that instilled the confidence and humility to always seek self-improvement. Kirby plans to use this opportunity to enrich his pedagogical approaches and teach Philosophy. Kirby hopes to create and refine avenues for students of diverse backgrounds to excel in higher education. Kirby holds two degrees in Music- a Bachelor’s from Michigan State University and Master’s from Northern Illinois University.
Ashley Palmer Ashley Palmer is a LEAD Faculty Fellow in the English Department. Areas of interest for Ashley include: reading, writing and teaching poetry and short stories that give a voice to marginalized communities. Additional interests for Ashley are: studying the intersections of contrastive analysis, African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and federal language policies, and strategizing ways to incorporate creative rhetorical practices into communication goals and writing curriculum. Inspiring minds and developing strong connections through critical thinking, reading and writing are Ashley’s top priorities. Ashley received a Bachelor’s of Art in English and a Master of Arts in Literature and Rhetoric/Composition from Northern Illinois University.
Dr. Alex Pergams is a LEAD Faculty fellow in the Biology Department. A Chicago native, Dr. Pergams has a variety of teaching experiences, from elementary and junior high schools in rural Japan to a 4-year university in Chicago. Dr. Pergams specializes in ecology, evolution, and zoology, and his doctoral thesis was on animal behavior. He passionately believes in increasing diversity and equity in academia, especially in Biology and is committed to fostering an inclusive and energetic classroom environment through pedagogy, enthusiasm, and compassion. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University with a double major in Biology/East Asian studies and a minor in Japanese and his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he was a Diversifying Faculty in Illinois Fellow.
2023 LEAD Faculty Fellows with Dr. Tamara A. Johnson
Pictured from left to right: Dr. Amaziah Finley, Isaiah Carrington, Dr. Tamara A. Johnson, Martinez E-B Garcias and Nicole Mancha.
2024 LEAD Faculty Fellows
Pictured from left to right: Kirby Fellis, Elizabeth Barahona, Ashley Palmer, and Dr. Alex Pergams.