Leadership | WhitworthKee Consulting

Ebbers can be considered the “godfather” of community college leaders in Iowa. Ebbers was a member of the faculty at Iowa State University in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies for decades. In his role, he served as director of the Community College Leadership Program and director of the Community College Leadership Consortium, and the Leadership in the New Century programs. In addition, Ebbers played a key role in developing and promoting Iowa’s community college system, as well as championing the advancement of women and people of color as leaders in higher education.

Among his many awards are the Council for the Study of Community Colleges’ Senior Scholar Award and Distinguished Service Award, the American Association of Community Colleges’ National Leadership Award, and the NASPA Latino Network “Amigo” Award. Additionally, Iowa State recognized Ebbers with the Corly Brooke Learning Communities Advocate Award, ISU’s Presidential Service Award, the ISU Outstanding Achievement Award for Professional Practice and Outreach, and an ISU Alumni Association 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Ebbers received both his doctorate degree in education and master’s degree in agricultural education from Iowa State University.

Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW (He/She/Dr.) is a bold lecturer and seasoned scholar-practitioner with more than 15 years of professional social work experience in the Washington D.C. metro area. His main commitment is training and strategizing with social workers, educators, and service providers around building safer therapeutic and educational spaces for all people. This is especially for those working in communities who are underserved and under-resourced, and those identifying as Black, Indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQI+ folks. Dr. Thomas has facilitated over 60 workshops centering diversity, equity and inclusion needs, grief and loss, mental health, sex and gender, and LGBTQI+ populations, and featured at Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Virginia, and national organizations such as NPR and the Human Rights Campaign. When creating organizational change through strategic planning, Dr. Thomas’ work unapologetically centers marginalized voices with community organizations and healthcare institutions to help shift power, privilege, and organizational accountability.

For the past ten years, Dr. Thomas has dedicated her time as a Senior Lecturer for the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work’s Virtual Academic Center. Dr. Thomas is currently a Research Associate for WhitworthKee Consulting. Dr. Thomas is now focusing his work and research on workplace burnout and support, death, grieving, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ people post-COVID and the 2020 Racial Uprisings.

She is a proud alumnx of Virginia Tech, Howard University, and Widener University holding a BS in Psychology, a Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration of Direct Services (Families and Children), a Masters in Education, and an Advanced Certificate in Human Sexuality Studies, respectively and an EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership through the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Whether through trainings, workshops, or supervision, Dr. Thomas is humbled to be using his gifts to serve the community.

Dr. Beatty’s research interests include leadership learning, addressing issues of equity in higher education, socially just leadership learning. Dr. Beatty has experience conducting qualitative research and document analysis. He holds a B.A. in sociology and African and African American diaspora studies and an M.S. in higher education student affairs, both from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Iowa State University School of Education.

Valencia Clement is a Haitian-American poet, scholar, and consultant from Queens, New York. She is a double alumna of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University where she studied Human and Organizational Development and Higher Education Policy with an emphasis in diversity and equity praxis. She is the author of two collections of poetry, “Pale. Pa Ale,” and “Sonje.” Her research interests include womanist pedagogy, intersectional equity in education policy, and arts-based methodology. She’s currently engaged in doctoral studies at Arizona State University. For more information on Valencia, visit her website at www.valenciaclement.com

Dr. Bahena’s research interests include K-12 education policy, college access, program evaluation, and scale development. Dr. Bahena has experience working with English/Spanish bilingual communities, parents, and families, and conducting both quantitative and qualitative analyses. She holds a B.A. in business administration and sociology from Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) and an Ed.M. in human development and psychology and Ed.D. in cultures, communities, and education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Tatiana Patterson is a Research Assistant and Project Manager at WhitworthKee Consulting where she is responsible for assisting with developing evaluation protocols to include the development of logic models, focus group guides, and survey questions.

Dr. Sabatini serves as a Senior Research Associate for WhitworthKee Consulting. Prior to working with WhitworthKee, Sabatini provided leadership and oversight for external relations for Laureate Global Products and Services (LGPS) from 2004-2017. LGPS institutions included the University of St. Augustine, Kendall College, National Hispanic University, New School of Architecture and Design, Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Walden University, University of Liverpool, and the University of Roehampton.

Sabatini’s experiences included preparing institutions for the changes in the higher education environment and the future requirements of its constituents by developing linkages between institutional planning and compliance with regulatory standards, both domestic and international. Dr. Sabatini has extensive experience managing teams to ensure the timely completion of applications, proposals, and self-studies. He was also responsible for coordinating institutional evaluation and compliance reports on behalf of all LGPS institutions.

In addition, Dr. Sabatini held a number of positions in the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). As the Acting Secretary of Higher Education at MHEC, he was responsible for providing leadership for the Maryland system of higher education consisting of 16 public community colleges, 25 two-year and four-year private colleges and universities, 15 public four-year institutions, 6 regional higher education centers, 125 private career schools, and 18 out-of-state colleges which operated at 34 sites throughout Maryland.

Other experiences and areas of expertise include administration of the state student financial assistance programs, including aid to community colleges, aid to private colleges and universities, and other contracts and grants. In collaboration with the Maryland Assistant Attorney General, he provided continuous monitoring of legal and regulatory issues affecting students enrolled in Maryland institutions of higher education. Dr. Sabatini holds an M.A. and Ed.D. from The Catholic University of America.

Dr. Kevin Hylton is the Vice President of Research and Evaluation at WhitworthKee Consulting where he is responsible for establishing and directing the company’s research and evaluation priorities. He is an accomplished researcher with over 20 years of experience in program evaluation, policy analysis, research design, and project management centered around improving educational inequities and health disparities among underserved populations. Dr. Hylton’s experiences include managing multiple, highly visible multi-million dollar contracts with diverse government agencies.

Dr. Santa-Ramirez’s personal and professional experiences in higher education – and identity as a scholar-practitioner-activist – have played formative roles in the development of his research agenda, which centers the lives and knowledge of historically marginalized and economically neglected students. His scholarship investigates campus racial climate, first-generation students’ sense of belonging, college student activism and resistance, and the various ways race, ethnicity, and im/migration inform the educational experiences of collegians who are Latinx and undocu/DACAmented. Dr. Santa-Ramirez holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Evaluation from Arizona State University (Phoenix, AZ), where he also obtained a certificate in socio-economic justice, a master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), and a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from West Chester University (West Chester, PA). Dr. Santa-Ramirez also has a certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida’s College of Business. Dr. Santa-Ramirez is a Research Associate for WhitworthKee Consulting providing expertise and knowledge to guide research and organizational assessments centering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Dr. Chad Kee is the founder and CEO of WhitworthKee Consulting. WhitworthKee Consulting is an education consulting firm providing professional development, technical assistance, and research and evaluation services to educational organizations. He holds a master’s degree in Sociology with a focus on urban education and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a higher education concentration. His academic training has equipped him with skills in research and evaluation, educational policies and practices, and postsecondary administration. Dr. Kee has occupied several professional experiences in educational leadership over the past 15 years in addition to serving as an Assistant Professor at Morgan State University. Some of the positions include Director of Multicultural Affairs, Associate Director of Student Leadership Development, Grants Manager for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for DCPS, and CTE Coordinator for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Dr. Glymph’s research interests include addressing issues related to education and health equity. Dr. Glymph expertise lies in quantitative research and program evaluation of educational and health equity programs in K-12 education. She holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in social psychology both from Howard University.

Offering Advanced Skills and Expertise

Meet The Team

Our Leaders

Chad E. Kee, Ph.D.

Larry Ebbers, Ph.D.

Kevin Hylton, Ph.D.

John A. Sabatini, Jr, Ph.D.

Tatiana Patterson

Sofia Bahena, PhD.

Valencia Clement

Cameron Beatty, PhD.

Angela D. Glymph, PhD.

Stephen Santa-Ramirez, PhD.

Shanéa Thomas, PhD., LICSW

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