Who We Are

Executive Committee

Dr. Christopher Sewell

Christopher Sewell, Chair

Dr. Sewell is the Director of the Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb Honors Program and Associate Professor at Talladega College. Previously, he was Associate Dean of Students and Dean of First-Year Students at Williams College and as Curriculum Manager at Praxis Labs. He has worked across the educational spectrum. His scholarship focuses on the experiences of gifted students of color with college access, the transition to college, and the experiences of Black students at Predominantly White Institutions. Dr. Sewell serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of African American Males in Education (JAAME). He has previously served as the Multicultural/Multiethnic Education SIG Program Chair. He earned his Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University, Master of Science in Education from UPenn, Master of Arts in Afro-American Studies from UCLA, and Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and History from Williams College.

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Neisha Terry Young, Secretary

Dr. Neisha Terry Young serves the Multicultural/Multiethnic SIG as secretary for 2025-2026. Dr. Neisha Terry Young is the Director of the VOICE Research Lab and Assistant Professor of English Education at Stony Brook University. Her research explores the affordances of multiliteracies in supporting the intersectional identities of Black immigrant youth. Dr. Terry Young has received various recognitions and awards for her work, including the Drexel University School of Education Ann Marie Weil Award (2022) for Ph.D. students whose dissertation research contributes to making a difference through a better understanding of human needs. She has also received a fellowship with Just Education Policy (2022 cohort), the English Language Arts Teacher Education (ELATE) graduate student research award (2022), and the 2024 MAXQDA Black History Month Research for Change grant, in addition to numerous travel grants to present her work both nationally and internationally. Dr. Terry Young earned her PhD in Education Policy and Leadership from Drexel University.

Melisa Valentin, Treasurer

Dr. Melisa Valentin is the Multicultural/Multiethnic SIG Treasurer for 2025-2026. Dr. Valentin has loved dedicating more than 20 years to learning from diverse individuals in different contexts, specifically international students and historically marginalized ethnic and racial groups. She has enjoyed educational consulting, research, curriculum development, and instructional design. Dr. Valentin's life experiences have led her to focus her research on how curriculum impacts Latinx children, including their perceptions of their racial identity. She is interested in studying how the curriculum otherizes students through colonial narratives utilizing a theoretical framework merging critical race theory, reader-response theory, and principles of culturally responsive teaching. Her goal is to challenge the hidden curricula to build a shared vision of what all learners could become when they are met where they are and uplifted through cariño pedagogies, race-conscious curricula, and responsive instruction. Most importantly, she intends to foster equitable visions of our children's individual value and academic potential.

Adriel A. Hilton, Program Chair

Dr. Hilton serves as the 2025-2026 Program Chair for the Multicultural/ Multiethnic SIG. Dr. Adriel A. Hilton is a nationally recognized scholar, changemaker, and higher education leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing student success and institutional excellence. He currently serves as Vice President of Institutional Strategy & Chief of Staff at Columbia College Chicago, where he helps align strategic initiatives with the institution’s mission to prepare students to shape culture and societal discourse. In this executive role, Dr. Hilton fosters cross-campus collaboration, oversees high-level communications, and represents the college across a variety of institutional and public forums. Dr. Hilton has held senior leadership roles across higher education and public service. As Director of Programs, Transition, and Youth Success Planning at the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, he led statewide efforts to support young people and families through critical life transitions. Before that, he was Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Associate Professor of Education at Southern University at New Orleans, where he collaborated on strategies to improve enrollment, student engagement, and retention.

Maria Zaman

Maria Zaman, Social Media Chair

Maria Zaman is a doctoral candidate in Teaching and Leadership at the University of North Dakota, specializing in bilingualism, multilingual education, and STEM teacher preparation. She serves as a Graduate Research Assistant on multiple NSF-funded projects, focusing on equity in rural education and culturally responsive teaching. Her research examines how teachers can effectively support multilingual learners in STEM classrooms.

Crystal Hutchinson, Graduate Student Representative

Crystal Hutchinson is a doctoral student at Rowan University's Educational Research Program. She is currently a fifth-grade teacher and a research assistant in Rowan's Critical Consciousness and Transformational Learning Lab.

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Yiting Chu, Immediate Past Chair

Dr. Yiting Chu served as the Multicultural/Multiethnic SIG Chair for 2023-2025. Yiting Chu is an assistant professor in the Department of Language, Literacy, Ed.D., Exceptional Education, and Physical Education at the College of Education, University of South Florida, Tampa. Dr. Chu's research is broadly situated at the intersections of multicultural education, teacher education, and education policy.

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