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Jennifer Mok is an Advisor in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, guiding individuals through the complexities of immigration and visa processes. With a Masters in Learning and Organizational Change, she endeavors to apply human-centered design thinking to create inclusive environments. In her previous life, Jennifer taught English as a Second Language in Seoul, South Korea, Mexico, and Orlando, Florida.  In her free time, she enjoys exploring languages, music, art, and architecture.

Why are Affinity Groups Important?

Growing up in South Carolina, I always struggled to belong. This is the reason why I am grateful to ASAG for the sense of belonging and community it has given me. To me, affinity groups serve as safe spaces for people to be themselves. They facilitate mutual learning and understanding of the rich diversity within the community. It is a place where we can find resonance and empower each other. I also believe that Affinity groups are instrumental in fostering allyship and bridging gaps to create a more equitable and inclusive future. This is the mission to which I happily and humbly contribute.

Tracey Gibson-Jackson is the founder and co-chair of the NU Black Professionals Network (BPN). She has been at Â鶹´«Ã½ since 2007 and currently serves as the director of student organizations & activities. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and a Master’s degree in Political and Justice Studies. Tracey has been immersed in student affairs for over 25 years. She has a fierce passion for bring people together and creating opportunities for inclusiveness and representation. Her areas of experience include community building, conflict resolution, and mediation. Away from work she enjoys spending time with her Westie Pepper Princess Jackson (PPJ) and her two sons.

Why Affinity Groups matter?

Affinity groups matter because everyone should have a safe place, space, community they can feel comfortable in and connected to. BPN prides itself on making sure every member of our community are seen, valued and celebrated!

Toni Montgomery joined Â鶹´«Ã½ – Financial Operations in May 2006. Toni has been a member of the BPN since its inauguration in 2016. As the BPN Co-Chair, Toni manages financial operations. In her role as Director of Dialogue, she develops and oversees open dialogue sessions for members on the Chicago/Evanston campus.

Toni believes that as we work together, this provides ‘people power’ and produces valuable outcomes for progressive change.

Why Affinity Groups matter?

It’s important to have a group of individuals who work together with like backgrounds, interests and cultures because it makes a stronger organization. Folks feel connected and safe. As Co-Chair, I am able to bring our members programs, dialogue sessions and a sense of community. I am able to collaborate with NU senior leaders so that our members feel like a part of Â鶹´«Ã½.

David Hartmann has been with Â鶹´«Ã½ since March 2014, and his current role is Manager, Business Services / Assistant Director, Division of Student Affairs Business and Finance.

He is a CPA who, prior to coming to Â鶹´«Ã½, worked in both public accounting and in the private sector.

Additionally, he taught in Chicago area synagogues for over thirty years.

Liam Sexton is a Senior Business Analyst at Kellogg Advancement Analytics, and has been co-chair of MBOSS for ~2 years along with Tia Ng. He is also Secretary and Treasurer of ENLACE, Kellogg’s Latinx Staff Resource Group. Liam has been at Â鶹´«Ã½ for about 8 years now, specifically in Development and Alumni Relations. He is originally from Indiana, graduated from Indiana University, and lived in Chicago for 15 years before relocating to Michigan.

Why Affinity Groups matter?

I think affinity groups are important because they create communities within Â鶹´«Ã½ where individuals can find other staff with similar backgrounds and experiences. I love connecting with people and sharing our unique experiences, as well as being a part of community building.

Win Reynolds is a queer, trans and neurodivergent person and one of Out Network’s co-chairs. As an employee at Â鶹´«Ã½, they are the research, science and engineering editor for the media relations team at the Office of Global Marketing and Communications, where they cover innovation and science and health research at the University for Â鶹´«Ã½ Now and the alumni magazine, and pitch research to journalists. They graduated from Medill in 2019 with majors in journalism and psychology and a certificate in civic engagement.

In their Â鶹´«Ã½ time beyond the nine-to-five, Win has found community in queer and trans spaces on and off campus. Win founded the queer employees resource group at their previous role, and quickly joined Out Network Evanston when they returned to the University as a staff member. Now in their second year as co-chair, Win hopes to create more intentional, specific spaces for faculty and staff members to feel like their full selves and be more playful surrounding intersecting identities; and just make more time to hang out with ONE informally.

Win loves to write about things besides science, too, and uses their spare time to write, read and create things (they are currently loving a bookmaking class they are taking at Lillstreet, go figure!). They also like to hike and camp with their dogs, play board games and explore free events around the city.

What do you love about being a co-chair?

I love being a co-chair because I get to watch how members of our leadership council bring skillsets from so many different fields together to form what becomes a beautiful and sustainable team. As the only affinity group open to both faculty and staff, we toe lots of campus lines which I find really fun and exciting. I’m the first/only out trans employee in my department (so far!!), and having spaces where belonging feels inherent like in an affinity group is so critical to a healthy work culture.

Noelia  (pronouns: she/her/ella) is the Executive Assistant to Lorraine Goffe, VP of Human Resources and CHRO. She holds a BA in Psychology and Art, with Honors in Studio Arts. She is a seasoned executive assistant with a track record of providing top-tier support to C-suite level executives. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for organization, she excels in managing complex calendars, coordinating meetings, and creating impactful presentations. Her expertise extends to event planning, where she thrives in executing projects and events seamlessly. Noelia serves as a trusted liaison between executives and various stakeholders, ensuring smooth communication and collaboration. She also plays a key role in broader team communication, fostering a cohesive and productive work environment.  Noelia is deeply passionate about giving back to the community and is actively involved in uplifting and supporting various organizations through volunteer work. She is a member of the programming committee for ANUW, a co-chair of Unidos, and a volunteer at Special Gifts Theatre.

As a co-chair for Unidos, Noelia is dedicated to amplifying the contributions of the Latinx community and to upholding Â鶹´«Ã½’s commitment of building an innovative, collaborative, and multidimensional community.