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.
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.
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.
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. 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.