Deborah Miles, Executive Director
Deborah is responsible for overall organizational management, staff supervision, programming direction and fundraising efforts as well as specific initiatives for UNC Asheville. Deborah received her BA from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas in 1975. In 1995, she founded the Center for Diversity Education at the Asheville Jewish Community Center. In 2005, Deborah received the nationally recognized Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for race relations from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Deborah’s office is in the UNC Asheville Intercultural Center, 116 Highsmith Student Union. Contact Deborah by phone: 828.232.5024 or e-mail [email protected].
Ayelet Reiter, Tzedek Resident
Ayelet is a recent graduate from Smith College with a B.A. in Study of Women and Gender and Jewish Studies. She hails from Boston and has relocated to Asheville to work for the Center for Diversity Education. She has a long history of organizing with Jewish and LGBTQ communities, and looks forward to continuing that work and learning from the many diverse communities of Asheville with the CDE. Her position is funded by the Amy Mandel and Katina Rodis fund. Her main responsibilities include organizing programs and events with many of Asheville’s youth organizations, working with UNCA students to help represent a diverse campus, and facilitating conversations around diversity and equity throughout WNC.
She can be contacted at [email protected].
Declan Lockheed, Digital Media and Marketing Intern
Declan is a senior majoring in Mass Communications and minoring in creative writing from Cary, North Carolina. He is responsible for maintaining the website for the center as well as it’s various social media outlets. He aims to promote the many events and exhibits the center is affiliated with and hopes to create a greater awareness of the programs the center is running this year. He enjoys playing soccer in his free time and film.
Emma Anderson, Peace Studies Intern
Emma is a peace studies intern responsible for conducting research and implementing programs associated with the Safe Schools for All collaborative, as well as anti-bullying programs in K-12 education. Her main goals are to promote global humanism and to educate students on eliminating bullying. Emma grew up on a 350 acre farm in Madison, VA and was homeschooled by her parents. From there, she developed a passion for cultivating peaceful environments for her peers. Emma is currently a junior seeking a degree in mass communication, new media and music.
Samantha Singer, Equity and Inclusion Intern
Samantha Singer is currently a Junior at UNC Asheville. She is working toward obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a focus in Political Science. She is from Charlotte, NC where she worked with multiple non-profit organizations on issues from education to religious pluralism. Samantha is one of the Equity and Inclusion Interns and will be working on creating a more equitable environment for students at UNC Asheville by serving on the Diversity Action Council, implementing workshops, and helping bridge gaps in diversity.
Hannah Rohed, Peace Studies Intern
Hannah Rohed is a senior at UNC Asheville studying Mass Communications and History. Her responsibilities at the Center for Diversity Education include researching and setting up exhibits for Holocaust and genocide education, as well as continuing outreach to teachers in the area for the exhibition and promotion of exhibits, speakers and loaned materials in grades 6-12 throughout WNC. After graduation, she hopes to work in event management or public relations. You can contact her at [email protected]
Kai Thompson, Equity and Inclusion Intern
Kai Thompson is a Senior at UNC Asheville studying Political Science and Africana Studies. She is from Huntersville, North Carolina and is responsible for promoting diversity and inclusion on UNC Asheville’s campus through collaboration with the other interns and several on-campus organizations. This includes attending Diversity Action Council meeting, developing and implementing student diversity training, and to help foster a relationship with the Intercultural Center and promote diversity centered events on-campus.
Melissa Castillo, Global Education Intern
Melissa is a senior majoring in Psychology with K-6 teacher license and is the Global Education intern. She will be coordinating with Global Ambassadors, Global Presenters and managing the loans of the many fascinating exhibits the center has to offer! She also plans to host events with the Education Department in order to connect future educators with the resources in the Center for Diversity Education. After graduation she plans to teach at an elementary school in the surrounding area.