Assistant Director
- M.S., Portland State University, Educational Leadership and Policy
- B.A., University of San Diego, Sociology
For the past 10 years, Rhea has been dedicated to creating pedagogical change in multiple academic settings. In 2009, while studying sociology at the University of San Diego, she began volunteering with the Center for Awareness, Service, and Action (now The Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness, and Social Action) working with youth in juvenile detention facilities to increase literacy through character development lessons. Rhea later became one of the Co-Directors for CASA and was Program Coordinator for the Literacy through Character program. During her career at USD, she focused on studying the power dynamics and inequalities that exist within the juvenile justice system.
After graduation, Rhea continued her passion for working with youth in juvenile detention facilities in the not-for-profit sector, focusing her work on disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline. In 2015, Rhea decided to deepen her knowledge on pedagogies and practices that transform the education system by pursuing a graduate degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from Portland State University. Here, Rhea studied and practiced new methods of teaching in public education. She co-facilitated professional development workshops for educators, including topics such as Place-Based Learning, Transformative Education, and Culturally Responsive Teaching. Upon graduation, Rhea knew that her next step would be to work alongside faculty to encourage and support their professional development to foster learning environments that are inclusive, compassionate, student-centered, and transformative.
Rhea accepted her position with the Center for Educational Excellence in 2019 and is dedicated to CEE’s vision of being an institutional change agent supporting the transformation of the university into an inclusive community of learners.