Gayle was born in Minneapolis and is the first in his family to receive a bachelor’s degree and/or a master’s degree. Prior to coming to the U of M, Gayle served at Augsburg University, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, most recently, as an academic advisor in the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Program in the U of M College of Liberal Arts here. Gayle is passionate about equity, justice and the development and utilization of human potential. You can sometimes find him performing poems or trying to inspire someone to be their best self.

Jacob brings a unique perspective, having focused on biology and economics in their undergraduate studies, attempting to understand how socioeconomic theory underpins the fabric of health and welfare disparities. Jacob is incredibly passionate about individuals and the power they wield – “which is why inclusivity, diversity, and equity lie at the forefront of my mission to become a public health researcher.”

In her 20 years of admissions experience, she has advocated for increased access to higher education for historically underrepresented populations through eliminating barriers, increasing transparency, and confronting systemic racism. She joined EDIT 2.0 to help facilitate challenging conversations that further the SPH’s efforts to become an antiracist school.

Dr. Fiecas was involved in student recruiting, where while he served as chair he assisted in helping the University of Minnesota become a Partner of the Math Alliance, a nationwide organization whose mission is to guide undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to obtain a doctoral degree. He is involved with the Division of Biostatistics’ public outreach and engagement activities. His motivation to serve on the EDIT Team is to provide perspectives as a 1.5 generation immigrant and assist the School in becoming even more outward-facing in its activities.

Emerson has prioritized incorporating equity and diversity work into their professional life since starting their first staff position at the U of MN in 2015, and most recently served on the SADI (Staff Advancing Diversity and Inclusion) Committee in the Medical School. They are inspired by people who are passionate and compassionate in their work, and look forward to continuing their DEI journey in the School of Public health and as part of EDIT 2.0.

Post-graduation she has served as an AmeriCorps service member in rural California with Latinx youth and in New Hampshire with domestic violence survivors. She has worked at various nonprofits that served historically excluded communities, like BIPOC womxn and their families, in Connecticut, Minnesota, and Maine. She is passionate about social and racial justice work and working with others to deepen their antiracism commitments. Marielynn currently lives in St. Paul with her partner, Alberto and their dog, Ludwig.

Amandeep has come to SPH to, “widen the horizons of my learning and understanding of policy level issues around maternal and child health to be able to serve at international level. I want to share my experiences at the bigger platform. At the same time, I want to learn about the Diverse cultures in the world and be a better advocate for promoting inclusion and equity.”

Marta is now in their 13th year of teaching, and has developed expertise in explaining concepts to people who are not familiar with them. Marta hopes, “to bring this expertise to the EDIT team to help train our school (and myself) to better understand systemic racism in public health and be anti-racist in our work and actions.”