Directors & Staff

Sylvia Martinez

Director

Email:
symartin@indiana.edu

Sylvia Martinez is an Associate Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Latino Studies program at Indiana University. Her research focuses on Latino/a ethnic identity, Latino/a education, and sociology of education issues more generally.

Sonia Lee

Associate Director

Email:
soslee@iu.edu

Sonia Lee is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Latinx Studies at Indiana University. Her research interests include the civil rights and Black Power movements, Black-Brown solidarities, constructions of race and ethnicity, mental health, substance abuse, trauma and practices of healing within freedom movements.

Jessica Smith

CRRES Administrative Assistant

Email:
crres@indiana.edu

Jessica maintains the CRRES office and provides administrative support for the Center’s activities. She assists with the room reservations and scheduling of CRRES events such as the Speaker Series, Coffee with Affiliates, and the Postdoctoral Scholars Program. She makes travel arrangements for CRRES and processes funding requests and reimbursements for the Center. Jessica earned her B.A. in Psychology at Indiana University and brings years of experience in customer service and administrative work to the Center. If you have questions about travel, CRRES funding or reimbursements, room reservations, scheduling, or general inquiries about the Center, please contact Jessica.

Melissa Garcia

CRRES Graduate Research Assistant

Email:
melgarc@iu.edu

Melissa Garcia is a Ph.D. student in the Sociology Department. She earned her M.A. in Sociology from the University of Memphis in 2017 and her B.A. in International Studies with a disciplinary major in Anthropology from Southwestern University. Her research interests include race and ethnicity, immigration, and higher education. At CRRES, Melissa is responsible for managing communications such as the weekly email blast, and social media, while also offering general assistance for the Center's programming.

Dasha Carver

CRRES Graduate Research Assistant

Dasha is a Ph.D. student in Counseling Psychology. She earned her M.A. in Couples and Family Therapy from Saint Louis University School of Medicine in 2021 and her B.A. in Psychology with minors in Creative Writing and British Literature from the University of Missouri St. Louis. Her research interests include social justice advocacy through sexuality, sexual health, racial identity, and relationship outcomes among couples, non-monogamous, and interracial partnerships. Dasha also uses intersectionality, critical race, attachment, and feminist theory as guiding frameworks for her research interests.

Anna Sarpong

CRRES Social Media and Outreach Intern

Anna Sarpong is a freshman studying Neuroscience at Indiana University. As the Social Media Outreach undergraduate intern, her role at CRRES is to provide valuable content through our social media platforms and reach IU undergraduate communities. Her research interest is on implicit bias, cognition, and decision-making and the role these concepts have on racial perspectives. Anna is a proud Peer Coach as a Cox Exploratory Scholar as well as a Hudson and Holland Scholar.

Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society
Schuessler Institute for Social Research
1022 E. 3rd St., Room 209,
Bloomington, IN 47405
812-855-8016
Office Hours: Monday - Friday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm