Our biennial conference celebrates the significant achievements that stem from partnerships between university and community and explores some of the contemporary challenges of university-community engagement and service-learning.
Since 2019, our two institutions have worked together to share information, lessons learned, successful practices and innovative ideas to deepen engagement with our respective communities. In doing so, we have furthered our collaboration with each other and strengthened our institutions' community engagement practice. This collaboration, coordinated by ACU Engagement and DePaul's Steans Center, thus far has resulted in three conferences, student exchanges and a study tour, and extensive professional learning encounters
Presented in partnership with DePaul University, Chicago.
In the fourth ACU and DePaul Conference on Community Engagement and Service-Learning: Preparing Educated Citizens during Uncertain Times we focus on community engagement and service-learning as activities that can engage our students for a lifetime of actions that will strengthen our democracies and serve the common good.
During the conference, we will consider how community engagement and service-learning can be enacted in a way that is politically engaged and impactful with university, community, and governments. This focus is undertaken with the recognition of uncertain times characterised by political polarisation and rising tensions within our national contexts.
Conference sub-themes
If you have any questions, or want to know more please feel free to get in touch at acuengagement@acu.edu.au.
Kelly Humphrey
Kelly Humphrey is the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) at Australian Catholic University (ACU). Kelly is a proud Gomeroi woman who is deeply committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in achieving their chosen futures. With degrees in Education and Theology, Kelly has developed a strong foundation in teaching, Aboriginal education, educational policy and leadership within Catholic and Public school systems. Her research, which focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school leaders and leadership, reflects her dedication to advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational leadership. Kelly has lived in rural and regional areas for most of her career. She has an engaging approach to strengthening connections with regional areas and being responsive to and supportive of diverse communities.
Judith McCray
Judith McCray is a multiple Emmy-winning journalist, filmmaker, and media activist with over 30 years' experience in public broadcasting and independent documentary production. She has worked with stations including WNET/New York, WTTW and WBEZ/Chicago, and WSIU/Carbondale, producing films for PBS and national public television that explore social justice themes. Her passion for finding the "ah-hah" moment in every story-one that can inspire and compel deeper understanding-has taken her to Sudan, Egypt, Kenya, Switzerland, Brazil and across the U.S., uncovering hidden truths and amplifying unheard, often overlooked voices. Raised on a family farm in Iowa by a grandfather who fled Jim Crow-era Mississippi, McCray has long used media to advocate for equity and change. She received the 2023 Leaders for a New Chicago award and currently serves as Senior Professional in Residence at DePaul University, where she teaches journalism and advises the NABJ student chapter. She holds a BSc from Northwestern University and an MA from Rutgers.
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Program Coordinator, Order of Malta & ACU Community Hub ACU EngagementAnna joined the ACU Engagement team in 2021. She has a strong background in program and project management across not-for-profit and major events sectors working with a wide range of groups, including veterans, elite athletes, corporate teams, and school students. Anna established the Order of Malta and ACU Community Hub in 2022, which operates within the Darebin LGA in Melbourne. The Hub facilitates place-based programs leveraging the skills and expertise of community members, ACU staff & students, and Members of the Order of Malta, to improve social, mental and physical health and wellbeing outcomes of people experiencing disadvantage and marginalisation. |
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Associate Professor of Political Science, DePaul UniversityChristina Rivers is an Associate Professor of Political Science at DePaul University. She is the author of The Congressional Black Caucus, Minority Voting Rights, and the U.S. Supreme Court, and has written about ballot access for pretrial detainees, felony disenfranchisement laws, and prison-based gerrymanders. From 2016-2024 she taught at Stateville Correctional Center as part of DePaul's Inside-Out Prison Exchange program and coordinated a law & policy think-tank. There, she collaborated with her incarcerated students in writing the Re-Entering Citizens Civic Education Act, which mandates voter & civic education as part of the exit process from Illinois' prisons. She also volunteers with voter access and education for eligible voters at Cook County jail, serves on the "Freedom to Learn" campaign to expand college programming in Illinois prisons, and directs the DePaul Institute for Restorative Educational Engagement, which seeks to enhance academic and civic programming for incarcerated students and their communities. |
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Master’s in Public Policy candidate, DePaul UniversityDavid Pintor was born and raised in Chicago, IL, and brings over 18 years of experience in community engagement throughout the city. He is currently a Master’s in Public Policy candidate at DePaul University, where he previously earned his BA in Sociology after beginning his undergraduate studies at Carleton College in Minnesota. David’s professional journey has been deeply rooted in equity, education, and grassroots building. He has served as a Program Manager at DePaul’s Steans Center since 2019, where he cultivates university-community partnerships and strengthens student community engagement. His diverse background includes roles in community organizing, nonprofit management, anti-oppression training, and work as a teaching artist. Outside of his professional life, David enjoys collecting vinyl records, spending time with his two dogs, Cacahuate and Frijol, and never turns down a plate of chilaquiles. |
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Architect and Environmental Planner, De La Salle-College of Saint BenildeDottie Asela D. Domingo is a licensed Architect and Environmental Planner. In 2010, she joined De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde as a pioneering faculty member of its Architecture Program. In 2015, she was chosen to be OIC Associate Dean. A year after, she was appointed Dean for the School of Design and Arts handling thirteen Degree Programs. Under her 8-year Deanship, she has stabilized its school operations, sustained its growth even during pandemic, and spearheaded its strategic spin-off into 3 new schools. Currently, she is serving as Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Academics. She is also recently appointed as Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Architecture Technical Panel member. Prior to joining Benilde, Arch. Asela had years of corporate practice in different real-estate companies, Ayala Land, Landco Pacific, and Phinma Properties. She completed her Architectural degree in UP Diliman and her MBA in Ateneo Graduate School of Business. |
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Senior Director of integrative Engagement and Global Impact, Northeastern UniversityDr. Becca Berkey is the Senior Director of integrative Engagement and Global Impact at Northeastern University, overseeing Community-Engaged Teaching & Research as well as the John Martinson Honors Program, and additionally serves as a lecturer in Human Services at the university. She has more than 15 years of experience in higher education, and is an interdisciplinary learner, researcher, and educator focusing in her role as a practitioner-scholar on faculty development and community impact of SLCE, and in her role as a scholar-activist as an Environmental Sociologist working with community and coalition-based organizations on issues pertaining to farmworker justice, health, and safety. |
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Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Media & Sport Management at Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaDoug Strahler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media & Sport Management at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. With expertise in strategic communication and media, he teaches courses in digital media production and engages in research focused on community engagement and media studies. He was the recipient of the 2016-17 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and serves as a Community-Engaged Learning Faculty Associate with SRU’s Center for Community Engagement. Outside the classroom, he is actively involved with the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), Campus Compact, and the New York State Communication Association. |
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Senior Lecturer (Bioscience), Australian Catholic University (ACU) School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesIsabelle Lys is a Senior Lecturer (Bioscience) at Australian Catholic University (ACU) School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education as a researcher and educator. As an ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait students and staff, and local communities, Dr Lys advocates for Indigenous Knowings in Sciences. She has experience in scholarship and teaching of Community Engagement (CE) in both Biomedical Science and Exercise Science disciplines, in addition to teaching Biomedical/Health Science units. She completed the De La Salle University Uniservitate Service-Learning Course in 2022 and is one of the co-facilitators of the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement Practitioner Scholar Committee (IARSLCE PSC) online course. Her passion is in leading/developing CE curriculum/projects that are inclusive, reciprocal, engaging, evidence-based, and addresses real-world challenges. |
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Director of Education Training, Oakland University William Beaumont School of MedicineDr. Wedemeyer serves as Director of Education Training in the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine where she collaborates across disciplines to develop community engagement and service-learning initiatives within the surrounding communities. As Assistant Professor, she also has teaching responsibilities across several courses including as small group facilitator in the Promotion & Maintenance of Health and Art & Practice of Medicine. Her research and scholarly activity have been informed by positions in humanities and professional school graduate assistantships, research assistantship with University of Michigan youth injury prevention, and presently on creating pathways for youth to become compassionate, community-engaged physicians. |
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Physiotherapist, Mercy HealthEllen is an experienced physiotherapist who embraces new challenges, including establishing the primary contact physiotherapy role in the Emergency Department at Bendigo Health. She enthusiastically joined the iGEN program when the opportunity arose in 2019 and has since played a pivotal role in its leadership. Ellen has been instrumental in guiding the intergenerational program through its early development, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its continued growth and refinement. Her visible passion for iGEN is fuelled by the joy of witnessing meaningful relationships form between students and residents, and the benefits for all involved. Ellen has also supported the ACU research team in collecting data on the program, aiming to deliver the best possible experience for all participants while contributing to the broader research base on intergenerational programs involving teenagers. |
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Colin Hogan
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Executive Director, Steans Center, DePaul UniversityDr. Rosing is the Executive Director of the Steans Center. He oversees the work of Academic Service Learning and the Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships and supports DePaul's partnership with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He works with faculty to develop scholarship on service-learning and community-based research and serves as a faculty member in Community Service Studies and an affiliate faculty member in Geography, Sustainable Urban Development (MASUD) and Community Psychology. He also co-directs MASUD. Dr. Rosing has taught and developed numerous service learning courses including Community Food Systems, Sustainable Urban Food Systems, and Geography, Food and Justice. His teaching directly supports DePaul's Minor in Food Studies and Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Urban Food Systems. Dr. Rosing is a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on sustainable food systems development, urban food access, economic restructuring, and food justice movements in Chicago and the Dominican Republic. |
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Lecturer, Thomas More Law School (TMLS), Australian Catholic University (ACU)Ian Lam is a Lecturer in the Thomas More Law School (TMLS), Australian Catholic University (ACU). Before joining TMLS, as a qualified solicitor and chartered accountant, Ian taught taxation law in the Peter Faber Business School of ACU. Currently, Ian is a teaching scholar specialised in Commercial Law and Taxation Law. Ian is also the pro bono program coordinator at the TMLS which is the only law school in Australia that requires students to complete 80 hours of supervised pro bono legal work within the law curriculum. The program provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate positive impact on society. In the past three years, Ian and the pro bono team has taken the program to a new level by working with approx. 250 students/year, and providing no less than 50,000 hours of pro bono legal work (20,000 hours/year) to help the vulnerable in the community. |
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Assistant Director, ABCD Partnerships, DePaul’s Asset-Based Community Development Institute, DePaul UniversityJen Kouba (they/them) holds both BA and MA degrees from DePaul University's College of Communication. They currently serve as the Assistant Director of ABCD Partnerships at DePaul’s Asset-Based Community Development Institute and teach in both the Peace, Justice, & Conflict Studies Program and the School for Continuing and Professional Studies. Jen is both a certified Peace Circle Facilitator and Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program’s Facilitator. |
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Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD), Lecturer at Australian Catholic University (ACU)Jessica Malcolm is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and lecturer at Australian Catholic University (ACU), dedicated to advancing education innovation in nutrition and dietetics. With extensive experience working alongside schools, community organisations, and government agencies, she designs collaborative initiatives that improve nutritional outcomes across diverse population groups. Her work spans settings that support people of all ages, backgrounds, and health needs. |
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Director, DePaul University Egan Office of Urban EducationProfessor John Zeigler is Director of DePaul University Egan Office of Urban Education and He believes in the power of building effective networks and creating opportunities for community partners to share their practices, promising ideas, and challenges to create impact. His work is rooted in the belief that if we create the right environments people will organize together and solve their own problems. He works with local leaders to assess the opportunities and needs that can be addressed by leveraging internal resources with external investment. He is an Asset Based Community Development and Shannon Institute Fellow. While director of the Egan Urban Center he was awarded the Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace award given by Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia. John has been awarded the Peace Corp’s Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service, Young Chicago Authors Wallace Douglas Distinguished Service Award, and the State of Illinois, “Everyday Hero”. |
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Community Development Program Manager, DePaul's Steans Center for Community-based Service LearningKaliah Liggons is the Community Development Program Manager at DePaul's Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning. Kaliah graduated from DePaul University with a Master of Public Administration degree. She currently holds a B.A. in Sociology and a B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. Some of her social interests include educational reform, youth advocacy and food and housing insecurity. Kaliah enjoys traveling and exploring diverse cultures, live music, culinary experiences and learning, often referring to herself as a life learner. |
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Founding director, Master of Occupational Therapy program, DePaul UniversityDr. Kate Barrett joined DePaul University in the Fall of 2019 as the founding director of the Master of Occupational Therapy program. Building on the mission of DePaul University, she developed a community-engaged curriculum in which each occupational therapy student is paired with a community partner for the duration of their didactic curriculum. |
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Senior Lecturer (Music Education) and National Professional Experience Coordinator, Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University (ACU)Kathleen is an international leader in community engagement through music and education, with a 40-year career embedded with social justice advocacy. Her work uses the performing arts to address critical social issues, creating transformative learning experiences for participants while affecting positive change. At ACU, she leads longitudinal research on the impact of issues-based community music engagement in higher education. Accolades include the University of Surrey (UK) Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Achievement Award (2017), ACU’s Vice-Chancellor Staff Excellence Award for Community Engagement (2021), and an ACU Citation for Contributions to Student Learning (2022). A highlight of her work was co-creating Street Requiem in 2014. It has been performed over 45 times globally, including at Carnegie Hall, and received a Special Judge’s Citation from The American Prize for “Dignifying the Homeless Through Song”. “Kathleen McGuire Day” was designated by two San Francisco majors in 2010 and 2013, recognising her significant contributions to the community. |
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Head of ACU Engagement - Brisbane, Australian Catholic UniversityDr Matthew Pink is the Head of ACU Engagement at Australian Catholic University. His research areas of interest include the transformational processes of university-community engagement, sport for positive youth development in developing, and developed nations, higher education, and athlete welfare and development. He is Deputy Chair of Engagement Australia and Editor of Transform: The Journal of Engaged Scholarship. Matthew is passionate about harnessing the power of universities and communities to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes that transform society.Matthew was personally transformed by a community engagement experience working with youth and soccer in Timor Leste as a student and has since always made time for community engagement in his higher education career spanning 14 years with Australian Catholic University. He has co-authored 16 publications across the community engagement and service-learning, higher education, sport for development, and sport and exercise psychology fields and was lead academic in developing the 3×3 model of student learning and well-being during international community engagement. Matthew received his doctorate from ACU in 2016 and was co-academic-lead in establishing the ACU and DePaul University (Chicago) Conference on Community Engagement and Service-learning which is now a biennial tradition between the two institutions. Matthew also led ACU’s involvement in the first phase of the Uniservitate Global program for service-learning in Catholic Higher Education. In his teaching career, Matthew has received two citations for the quality of his teaching and in particular for showing empathy and support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. |
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Assistant Deputy Head, School of Allied Health, ACUMichelle is the Assistant Deputy Head in the School of Allied Health, based in Melbourne. Michelle is the Speech Pathology lead for CE, and has recently commenced a lead role for the School of Allied Health. She is the National Lecturer in Charge of the third year Speech Pathology unit Community Development, Public Health and Speech Pathology, and also supports the teaching team who deliver the first year unit Communication and Development Across the Lifespan. Michelle is interested in understanding how best to support students and staff when working with communities, and how we can engage in community experiences to develop well-rounded, civic-minded health professionals. |
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Associate Director, Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships, Irwin W. Steans Center at DePaul UniversityDr. Mónica Haydeé Ramos is the Associate Director of the Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships at the Irwin W. Steans Center at DePaul University. She oversees school-based partnerships, family engagement, and community partner internships. Additionally, she collaborates with faculty in service-learning courses that connect their coursework with urban education. She is an adjunct professor in the Community Service Studies minor and Latin-American and Latino Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Education at DePaul University. |
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Advocate, Author, and Change-Maker, DePaul UniversityWith a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications and a Master of Science in Public Administration Management from DePaul University, Monique currently serves as a Service Program Manager in the Steans Center. Her background spans from a leadership role in marketing in the oil and gas industry to serving as the Director of Partnerships at a Chicago area Catholic High School. Where she made significant strides in enhancing student experiences.She is an award winning children’s author and the founder of a nonprofit organization where her advocacy is centered on empowering women and children, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Her community engagement over the past 15 years has centered on promoting maternal health care, access to early childhood education, creating initiatives that address critical issues faced by mothers and their children and advocating for underrepresented communities. Throughout her career, she been deeply committed to fostering environments where women and children can thrive. She believes in the power of education and community support as tools for transformation. By collaborating with various organizations and advocating for policies that support women, children and communities of color, she strives to make a meaningful impact globally. |
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ACU Coordinator, Clemente AustraliaNyree holds a Master of Clinical Psychology degree and has worked in mental health and suicide prevention for over a decade in clinical, research, and project management roles across primary care, acute mental health, suicide prevention and community health sectors. Nyree led a lived experience team at the Black Dog Institute, advocating for the perspectives and voices of people with lived experiences of mental health challenges, by focusing on systems and cultural change to reshape how ‘knowledge’ is defined, and how services are designed and delivered.Nyree joined ACU on the Clemente program in late 2023, inspired by the University’s ethos on the “pursuit of knowledge, the dignity of the human person and the common good”. She currently is the Clemente Coordinator for the program delivered at Parklea Correctional Centre, and Mission Australia Community Services. Nyree draws from her experience and knowledge to create safe, supportive and effective learning spaces for students to continue to learn and find their place and value, in their academic pursuits. |
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Brian Gurney, MTC Deputy GovernorBrian’s career in corrections has spanned over 28 years. Brian has risen through the ranks to become General Manager at Parklea, having had many varied experiences along the way through a dozen correctional centres and specialised intelligence and security units. Whilst his career has been spent as a custodial correctional officer, responsible for the safety and security of correctional centres and management of staff and inmates, Brian has always taken an interest in inmate welfare, development and programs. Brian has been able to experience the positive effect on offenders in custody being able to improve themselves and address their offending behaviour through programs and education.In August 2022, Brian joined MTC Parklea, attracted to the innovation privately managed correctional centres can employ. One of those innovations is the Clemente Program delivered in partnership with the Australian Catholic University. MTC began in the USA over 40 years ago with the vision of assisting people improve their lives, an ethos Brian shares. Though a correctional officer by “trade”, Brian has always been a large supporter of offenders through safe, decent and respectful interactions and support of programs such as Clemente to help inmates avoid returning to custody. |
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Associate Professor, National School of Education, Australian Catholic UniversityRenata Cinelli is an Associate Professor in the National School of Education, Australian Catholic University. Renata has both interest and experience working with and in communities of cultural diversity. She has led 10 international experiences for Australian pre-service teachers to countries such as Solomon Islands (2014-2020), Kiribati (2017-2018), and Italy (2018-2019), as well as experience conducting culturally appropriate research with Aboriginal peoples in urban, regional, and remote communities in Australia (since 2009). Renata has taught units on service learning, community engagement, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, and she supervises PhD students undertaking research in culturally diverse communities. Renata’s involvement in the Solomon Islands teacher education immersion program (with the team Jones, Cinelli, Gallagher, and Deenmamode) was recognised via the Uniservitate Award (2022) for providing the best service-learning experience in the Asia-Pacific region. |
Our 2023 conference took place over three days in Chicago. It aimed to foster shared learning and innovation in community engagement. Participants were able to explore diverse topics in community service and engagement, focusing on building stronger relationships and sharing effective practices.
Learn moreOur 2021 conference aimed to explore the current ‘state of play’ for universities in responding to the challenges and opportunities for service-learning and university-community engagement in a ‘post-COVID’ world while taking the time to reflect on the responses and learnings from the efforts of the field during the pandemic.
Learn moreOur 2019 conference aimed to celebrate the significant achievements that stem from partnerships between university and community and explore some of the contemporary challenges of university-community engagement and service-learning at the two largest English-speaking Catholic universities in the world.
Learn moreTap into a network of over 35,000 people across Australia to support your organisation in meeting the needs of your community.
Learn moreDiscover community engagement at ACU and learn how you can get involved, as a student, staff member or community partner.
Learn moreMeet the ACU Engagement team and learn more about our mission to provide meaningful community engagement opportunities.
Learn moreAs a Catholic university, we’re guided by our clear mission, strong sense of identity and firm set of values.
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