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Mamta Accapadi
Vice Provost for University Life
Mamta Accapadi is a national leader in university student affairs, whose career has been devoted to the goals of inclusion, community, and social justice. She has been a particular advocate for first-generation students, low-income students, and children of immigrants, reflecting her own background as a child of immigrants who went on to earn three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.
Accapadi served as vice president for student affairs at Rollins College from 2013-2020, following four years as dean of student life at Oregon State University. Her earlier experience at UT-Austin included serving as university ombudsman, diversity education coordinator, advisor to Greek life and education, coordinator of the International Teaching Assistant Program, and assistant director of the Multicultural Information Center. She earned a PhD and MEd in higher education administration and a BA in microbiology from UT-Austin.
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Herman Beavers
Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt President’s Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies
Herman Beavers has taught at Penn since 1989. Professor Beavers has a joint appointment in the Department of Africana Studies and teaches courses in African American and American literature, including courses on Southern Modernism, 20th Century African American Poetry, as well as “Trading Fours: The Literatures of Jazz,” which is a requisite course in the Jazz and Popular Music minor. He also teaches a section of the introductory poetry workshop in the Creative Writing Program. Professor Beavers also teaches (with Prof. Suzana Berger) the Arts-Based Community Service course entitled, “August Wilson and Beyond,” which brings Penn students together with West Philadelphia residents to read August Wilson’s Century Cycle of plays. His most recent poems have appeared (or are about to appear) in MELUS, The Langston Hughes Colloquy, Versadelphia, Cleaver Magazine, and The American Arts Quarterly. He has recently published essays on August Wilson, Charles Johnson, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison. His latest book Geography and the Political Imaginary in the Novels of Toni Morrison was published in 2018. He also serves as an advisory editor at African American Review, Modern Fiction Studies, The Langston Hughes Review, and The Black Scholar.
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Louis Lin
C’20, MPH’23, Theatre Arts Council Alumn
Louis Lin (He/him/his) is a Master of Public Health student at the Perelman School of Medicine. He graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2020 where he studied Political Science and Health and Societies. Throughout his time at Penn, Louis has been deeply involved in the arts. He served as the Chair of the Theatre Arts Council on PAC Exec during his senior year and has served on board for Front Row Theatre Company since freshman spring. He recently directed The Courtroom: A Re-enactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings for FTC’s winter season. Louis devoted his time at Penn to work on equity and inclusion issues in and out of the arts, specifically with FGLI and Asian American students. Louis currently also works full-time at Philadelphia Legal Assistance as Project Coordinator for the city’s Eviction Diversion Program.
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Jake Milner
W’21, President of Penn Glee Club and Assistant Music Director of Keynotes A Cappella
Jake is a senior from Chicago graduating with concentrations in finance and accounting in The Wharton School. He is a member of the Penn Glee Club, Keynotes A Cappella, and the Penn Pipers, and he has volunteered for four years with Penn’s Music and Social Change program. He currently serves as President of the Glee Club and has previously served as Business Manager and Operations Manager. This year, as President, Jake led the Club’s Initiative for a Gender-Inclusive Choir, which resulted in a historic merger with the Penn Sirens and the opening of the Glee Club’s Singers section to singers of all genders. He has also been the Tenor I Section Leader and a member of the Club’s Student Music Team for each of the past two years. Jake was also Assistant Music Director of Keynotes for two years and has served as Business Manager of the Penn Pipers for the past three years. After graduation, he’ll be joining McKinsey & Company as a Business Analyst in New York.
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Laila Barakat Norford
ENG’23, Secretary of the Penn Band
Laila is a sophomore from Wayne, PA, studying bioengineering. She plays clarinet in the Penn Band, for which she currently serves as Secretary and formerly served as Recruitment and Retention Chair. In her leadership positions, Laila helped the band successfully pivot to virtual recruiting and, this semester, adapt back to in-person rehearsal opportunities. She has worked with her fellow Board members to establish the band’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair and Committee, with the goal of helping the band reflect and celebrate the diversity of the student body at Penn and ensuring all members feel welcome in the organization. Outside of the performing arts, Laila is involved in bioengineering research as a Rachleff Scholar and intends to pursue a research career. She is also a member of several LGBTQ+ organizations on campus and volunteers with Penn Leads the Vote.
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Daina Troy
W’98, Associate Director, Makuu
Daina has been a member of the Makuu staff since 2007. She has served as Office Coordinator and Associate Director (2007-2012, 2015), Makuu Alumni Liaison(2012-2019, volunteer position), and returned to the office full time in October 2019. Daina’s focus is Makuu communications and student leadership development. Daina spent the beginning of her career in the media and entertainment industry, working in music and marketing. A desire to see her community thrive caused her to pivot from developing artists to developing students.
As an alumna, Daina(W’98) serves with the James Brister Society and the Black Alumni Society.
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