Executive Director: Timothy M. Diette
Tim Diette joined SHECP in October 2021 as its executive director. He served in the Office of the President as the Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Analysis from 2018 to 2021. For the 2020-21 academic year, he also served as the acting director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability. Previously, he served as the Associate Dean of the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics and as the acting head of the Economics Department.
Professor Diette joined Washington and Lee University in 2004 as a visiting professor in the Economics Department and as a tenure-track faculty member in 2006. He is also a faculty member of the Africana Studies Program, the Education Studies Program, and the Shepherd Poverty Program. He has previous experience working in the Finance Departments at Bank of America and Wachovia followed by a stint as an Economist for the North Carolina Department of Revenue. He has been a Visiting Research Scholar at The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne and a Visiting Research Fellow with The Research Network on Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. He testified before a Canadian House of Commons committee regarding poverty reduction strategies and the adverse psychological consequences of exposure to unemployment. Outside of the university, he is the chair of the school board for the Lexington City Schools.
Diette has taught courses on the economics of education and health economics. In this new role, he will teach the interdisciplinary introduction to poverty and human capability and a new course on race, class, and education policy. His research focuses on a range of issues related to race, poverty, and inequality in the areas of education, health, and social policy. Tim.Diette@shepherdconsortium.org
Assistant Director of Grants and Engagement: Jen Handy
Jen Handy joined SHECP in December 2021 as Assistant Director of Grants and Engagement. Since graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2007, Jen has spent her career in nonprofit leadership roles spearheading anti-poverty initiatives. Prior to joining SHECP, Jen was the Executive Director of the Rockbridge Area Relief Association (RARA) in Lexington, VA, where she led her team in reimagining all aspects of RARA’s organizational structure, programming, outreach, partnerships with universities and within the community. Also, Jen worked as a nonprofit consultant for the United Way of Rockbridge, where she conducted feasibility studies and designed new programming to support local nonprofits in the fulfillment of their missions. jen.handy@
Assistant Director of Internships: Lia Brooke
Lia Brooke joined SHECP in December 2021 as Assistant Director of Internships. Lia earned her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University – Idaho and her master’s degree from Hollins University. Prior to joining SHECP, Lia held numerous positions at Southern Virginia University including Enrollment Manager, Admissions Director, and most recently Director of the Personal Learning Center. lia.brooke@shepherdconsortium.org
Administrative Assistant: Cassie McCulloch
Cassie McCulloch joined SHECP in December 2021 as Administrative Assistant. Cassie earned her bachelor’s degree from Norwich University and she is currently completing her master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in public policy and analytics. Prior to joining SHECP, Cassie served in the U.S. Army as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Officer.  cassie.mcculloch@shepherdconsortium.org
Governing Board
Chair: Kristin Harper, Birmingham-Southern College, kharper@bsc.edu
Immediate Chair: Brian Doyle, Marymount University, brian.doyle@marymount.edu
Vice Chair: Mindy Wilson, Centre College, mindy.wilson@centre.edu
Treasurer: Atin Basu Choudhary, Virginia Military Institute, BasuChoudharyA@vmi.edu
Ex officio: Tim Diette, Shepherd Consortium, tim.diette@shepherdconsortium.orgÂ
Richard Cancelmo, Bridgeway Capital Management, dcancelmo@bridgeway.comÂ
Margaret Finucane, John Carroll University, mfinucane@jcu.edu
Andrew Hogue, Baylor University, andrew_hogue@baylor.edu
Andrew Kumpuris, Cardiologist, Little Rock, AR, dkumpuris@aol.com
Matthew Lawrence, Middlebury College, lawrence@middlebury.edu
Tiffanie Spencer, University of Vermont, tiffanie.spencer@uvm.edu
Sara Worley, Juniata College, worley@juniata.edu
SHECP Council 2021-2022
Nina Banks, Bucknell University, nbanks@bucknell.edu
Atin Basu Choudhary, Virginia Military Institute, BasuChoudharyA@vmi.edu
Lauren Bowen, Juniata College, bowenl@juniata.edu
Katy Gray Brown, Manchester University, klgraybrown@manchester.edu
Richard Cancelmo, Bridgeway Capital Management, dcancelmo@bridgeway.comÂ
Joel Clark, University of Wisconsin–Madison, jclark24@wisc.edu
Larry Connolly, Connolly Family Foundation, jlconnolly9092@gmail.com
Kim Cosgrove, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, cosgrove@kennedykrieger.org
Brian Doyle, Marymount University, brian.doyle@marymount.edu
Cindy Ferguson, University of Lynchburg, ferguson_cd@lynchburg.edu
Margaret Finucane, John Carroll University, mfinucane@jcu.edu
David Gandolfo, Furman University, david.gandolfo@furman.edu
Marina Giannirakis, SHECP Alumna, mgiannirakis17@jcu.edu
Kristin Harper, Birmingham-Southern College, kharper@bsc.edu
Sean Herring, Missouri State University, seanherring@
Andrew Hogue, Baylor University, andrew_hogue@baylor.edu
Elyssa Klipsch, Millsaps College, klipsem@millsaps.edu
Andrew Kumpuris, Cardiologist, Little Rock, AR, dkumpuris@aol.com
Matthew Lawrence, Middlebury College, lawrence@middlebury.edu
Elizabeth Lee, SHECP Alumna, lee.elizabeth94@gmail.com
Jaziah Masters, SHECP Alumnus, mastersbjaziah@gmail.com
Howard Pickett, Washington & Lee University, picketthy@wlu.edu
Connie Snyder Mick, University of Notre Dame, cmick@nd.edu
Danny Murray, SHECP Alumnus
Rebecca Todd Peters, Elon University, rpeters@elon.edu
Wesley Saintilnord, SHECP Alumnus, wsa235@g.uky.edu
Stephen J. Scanlan, Ohio University, scanlans@ohio.edu
Tiffanie Spencer, University of Vermont, tiffanie.spencer@uvm.edu
Christina Willemsen, Hamilton College, cwillems@hamilton.edu
Sara Whipple, Virginia Military Institute, whippless@vmi.edu
Mindy Wilson, Centre College, mindy.wilson@centre.edu
Ana “Monica” Yepes-Rios, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, yepesra@ccf.org
Updated September 27, 2021