Back to Center for Hartford Engagement and Research

CHER Advisory Board 2026-2027

The CHER Advisory Board consists of Trinity faculty, staff, students, and Hartford residents. Members provide feedback about current efforts and offer guidance on future directions. Learn more about the members below.

 

CHER Advisory Board Members, 2026-2027

Dr. Elise Castillo conducts qualitative research on school choice policies, focusing on their possibilities for, and limitations to, advancing racially integrated, equitable, and democratic public education. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she employs concepts from political science, sociology, and critical policy analysis.Dr. Castillo has a particular interest in understanding how diverse Asian American students and families experience and make sense of school choice and integration policies, and has been examining this topic in Greater Hartford, Connecticut, and New York City. Related work investigates the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on school integration organizing in New York City, where school choice has exacerbated segregation over the last two decades; and how progressive and community-based charter schools can advance or hinder racial equity and integration. As an educator, Dr. Castillo is committed to supporting her students’ capacities to critically engage with issues related to equity, democracy, and the public good. A former middle and high school English teacher, Dr. Castillo holds an MA and PhD in Education Policy from the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, an MS in Secondary Teaching from Pace University, and a BA in English and Creative Writing from Barnard College.

Yesenia Conde is an Early Childhood Manager with extensive experience in early childhood education, family services, and nonprofit leadership. She has dedicated her career to improving the quality of early childhood programs through home visiting initiatives, staff supervision, and the development of strategic community partnerships. Her work emphasizes empowering families, supporting educators, and fostering environments where young children can thrive.

Yesenia holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, which complements her practical expertise with a strong foundation in leadership, organizational development, and program management. Her combined focus on research, evidence-based practices, and community collaboration positions her as a trusted leader in advancing early childhood education initiatives.

Roberto Cotto is the Director of DEI Campus & Community Engagement at Trinity. Robert holds a Ph.D. in Learning, Leadership, and Education Policy from the University of Connecticut and completed his dissertation on “Latinx and Black Parent Responses to School Closure in Redeveloping Hartford, CT.” Robert worked with the HMTCA-Trinity Partnership at Trinity from 2014-2022 and previously worked as a K-12 educational researcher and teacher.

 

Laura Humm Delgado is an Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, an urban planning scholar and former practitioner.  She received a Master in City Planning and a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and she previously worked for the City of Boston researching affordable housing, homeownership, land use, and abandoned properties.  Her research focuses on housing and community development, including the role of community-based organizations and public agencies, in U.S. cities.  Her most recent research looks at public libraries and how they draw on community resources to facilitate immigrant integration at the neighborhood level.  Previously, her research has addressed the foreclosure crisis, gentrification, and homelessness.  She has experience teaching housing and community development, research methods, urban planning history and theory, and GIS at MIT and Boston University.  As a teacher, she values discussion-based classes and encourages students to incorporate experiential learning into their coursework.

Alex Helberg is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric. He studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his Master’s and Doctoral degrees studying the rhetoric of public engagement in activist and advocacy contexts under the direction of Dr. Linda Flower. During his time at Carnegie Mellon, Helberg actively researched and participated in local food justice movements, ranging from hunger charities to radical food distribution collectives. He also worked to develop technology-enhanced learning tools, such as DocuScope Classroom, while researching the role of language modeling and student metacognition in writing classrooms. These dual foci on social justice advocacy and technology have led to his current line of research investigating how rhetoric and writing literacy practices could (or should) be affected by the sudden onset of generative A.I. technologies, and the degree to which these technologies pose ethical problems within and outside of the classroom. His courses in digital rhetoric employ a critical approach to helping students analyze new media ecologies, digital discourse communities, and multimodal communication practices. Helberg is currently the co-Executive Producer of the public scholarship project and podcast re:verb.

Nancy Y. Mendez, (MLIS) is the Executive Assistant to Principal Richard Quinn at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA). She has over 12 years of experience working in community engagement in the City of Hartford, in her previous role as the Community Specialist for Hartford Public Schools, and as the Youth Services Librarian at the Hartford Public Library, Park Street Branch. Nancy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Individualized Studies from Charter Oak State College and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Louisiana State University. Nancy’s extensive knowledge of Hartford schools and local community organizations has proven to be essential in her work supporting students and families in Hartford. Nancy’s passion for advocacy is clear in her work for quality integrated education for ALL Hartford children in her role as a Board Member for the Sheff Coalition Movement. For the past 4 years, Nancy has worked in partnership with SINA, Inc. and the Hartford Public Library to create a yearly “Book Writing Contest” for students who live in Hartford or who attend Hartford Schools in grades from Kindergarten to 5th grade. This has allowed students to become published authors of 35 books.

Amy Myerson joined Trinity College in 2021 as the Senior Director of the Grants Office. She has over 20 years of experience in grants administration and grant writing. She came to Trinity from Wheeler Clinic, a federally qualified health center and community mental health provider, where she served as Senior Director of Grants for 14 years. One of the many things that drew Amy to Trinity is the college’s focus on engagement with the Hartford community. Amy received a BS in Psychology from the University of Florida and an MA in Social Psychology from Ohio State University.

 

John Selders Reverend Doctor John L. Selders, Jr. is an ordained minister serving in the United Church of Christ, the Organizing Pastor of Amistad United Church of Christ, Hartford, CT, former Associate College Chaplain and currently Assistant Dean of Students and Coordinator of Community Standards at Trinity College, and one of the leaders of Moral Monday CT.

 

Logan Singerman is the Executive Director at Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA). Before working full-time at SINA, Logan worked as the Director of Outreach Ministries at Center Church where he assisted 900 community members a year in navigating resources and oversaw the distribution of over $600,000 worth of assistance. Prior, Logan served for three years as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Hands on Hartford and Hartford City Hall with the North Hartford Promise Zone.

Tiana Starks proudly calls Hartford home. Raised in the city, she graduated from Global Communications Academy and went on to earn a degree in Sociology with a minor in Community Action from Trinity College, where she graduated in 2021. Her journey began as the Community Liaison for the City of Hartford, where she built strong relationships and valued collaboration. Now serving as the Senior Community Impact Associate at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Tiana loves connecting people and resources to create positive change.

 

David Tatem has been at Trinity since 1999, currently as an Instructional Technologist in the Research, Instruction, and Technology department. He is the primary contact person for faculty members in the Social Sciences. He is the point person for 3D printing, Virtual Reality systems, and the drone program as well being the support contact for statistical software such as SPSS and STATA and also supports the use of GIS.

 

Mafer Vacca is a junior majoring in Urban Studies and minoring in Architectural Studies. This semester, she is a TA for the Transportation Equity and Parking Justice Project at the Liberal Arts Action Lab. She was also part of the Family Finance Project during the spring of my freshman year. She is passionate about increasing Trinity’s connection to Hartford and its urban community, something she gets to do in her role as a Community Engagement Fellow at CHER, alongside Sofia. Together, they design and plan events that help increase student outings to Hartford, creating a closer relationship with the city, but also reflecting about what are some of the issues in the place that they live in. Besides CHER, she is also a research assistant at the Center for Caribbean Studies and an intern with the CT Department of Housing. Here is a link to a couple of slides that they were able to make explaining their work as the fellows.
Sofia Salgado Melo is from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and she is a Sophomore at Trinity.  She was a part of the Community Action Gateway during my freshman year and currently she is double majoring in Political Science and Economics. I am super excited to be working with CHER this year as a Community Engagement Fellow!