About Us
PERCY MOREHOUSE, PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Morehouse became Director of Equal Opportunity and Assistant to the President in August 1986. Previously he held the positions of Director of the Mountain West Educational Equity Center, Weber State University, Ogden, UT; Director of the Center for Public School Ethnic studies, 1969, University of Texas-Austin; Junior High Principal, Lake Providence, LA and High School Biology and Chemistry Teacher, Oak Grove, LA.
Dr. Morehouse has a B.S. degree from Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA in Zoology, a Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling, Prairie View University, Prairie View, TX and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas-Austin, TX in Curriculum and Instruction.
Dr. Morehouse is a nationally recognized consultant in the development of Affirmative Action and Diversity Plans; conducting Diversity audits for higher, secondary and elementary education; supervision and staff development needs assessments and training; conducting and reporting on complex investigations; conducting comprehensive organizational reviews and assessments of equal opportunity compliance; mediation & conflict resolution skills; grant writing; and educational research (school climate studies: post-secondary, secondary, and elementary); and conducting Title II, Title IX, Sexual and racial harassment assessments for higher, secondary and elementary educational institutions.
Dr. Morehouse’s publications include: (1999). A Paradigm for Educating Faculty on Their Role and Responsibility for Providing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. Disability Compliance For Higher Education; and (2000) The Role of the Academic Department Chair in ADA Student Accommodations; 2008. Policies and Procedures Manual for Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Faculty, Staff and Student Employees with Disabilities (PDF)
Dr. Morehouse’s presentations at conferences include: "Sexual Victimization: Cross-Cultural Experiences of University Women", (March 15-19);"Sexual Harassment in the Work Place: What are Your Rights and Responsibilities"; "Towards a Multicultural Campus: A Metropolitan Initiative," (October 1991); "The Theory of Differential Oppression: The Beginning of a New Understanding of 'Problem Youth'”; “The Role of Public Schools in the Desegregation/Integration Process”; “Managing Diversity in Higher Education: How to Do It”; Oxford Round Table, “The Role of the Academic Chair or Unit Supervisor In ADA Faculty/Staff Accommodations.”
In collaboration with staff from Metro State’s Web and Instructional Technology Services, in 2007 converted the 1999/2000 paper (A Paradigm for Educating Faculty, Departments Chairs on Their Role and Responsibility for Providing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities) into a mandatory interactive online training video for employees ( including faculty, staff administrators and student employees).
Anderson M., Morehouse P., Chung M., presentation on How Technology can be used to Promote Diversity: excellence and inclusiveness on college campuses and communities, for the American Association of Affirmative Action (AAAA) conference, Chicago IL, April 2009.
MYRON ANDERSON, CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Myron Anderson serves Metropolitan State College of Denver as the associate to the president for diversity. A member of the president’s cabinet, Anderson is the College’s chief diversity officer responsible for articulating and resolving current and future issues related to diversity. He is responsible for investigating complaints and mediating fair settlements between aggrieved faculty, staff and students throughout the institution. In addition, Anderson identifies campus climate trends that may assist in developing strategies to pro-actively promote “inclusive excellence.”
Since he assumed his position in 2007, Metro State has seen its enrollment of students of color increase by more than a third, making up 28 percent of the student body in fall 2010.
Dr. Anderson has worked in higher education for more than 20 years, in both administrative and academic positions. He also carries the rank of associate professor of education technology. Prior to his current position, he was the associate chair of the teacher education department at Metro State, and a faculty member and administrator at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). His areas of expertise are instructional technology, distance education and inclusive excellence.
He is the past co-advisor of the Student National Education Association Scholarship Committee and has been involved in national workshops to discuss and develop strategies and solve problems around diversity. He currently serves as a board member for the national organization, the American Association for Affirmative Action AAAA, as the Elections Chair.
Dr. Anderson earned a Ph.D. in instructional technology and a bachelor of arts in political science from Virginia Tech, and a master of science in curriculum and instruction from Radford University.
JAN PERRY EVENSTAD, CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Jan Perry Evenstad, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver in the Department of Elementary, Linguistically Diverse, K-12 and Secondary Education. She teaches an Educational Psychology and Philosophy class as well as, Issues in Multicultural Urban Education. She also serves as the CO-Principal Investigator of a regional Equity Assistance Center. She has worked in the area of educational equity for many years at two regional Equity Assistance Centers and the Colorado Department of Education as a race and gender Equity Specialist. She was one of the co-founders of the Colorado Chapter of NAME. Jan has a Ph.D. from the University of Denver in Education Administration where her doctoral research focused on educational equity and student assessment. Her areas of research and professional development have been in: diversity, assessment, gender equity, Title IX, Indian Education, bullying and sexual harassment. She is a national trainer for GESA (Generating Expectations for Student Achievement), SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol), Olweus Bully Prevention Program and Aggressor Victims and Bystanders.
KATHY RIGSBY, DIRECTOR
Kathy Rigsby is an experienced Equity Assistance Center worker, including more than 10 years as an assistant director of previous Region VIII centers. She brings to the Center an extensive background of work training in gender equity, teaching, civil rights, the prevention of sexual harassment, Title IX, and bullying prevention. She is also a certified trainer for Olweus Bullying Prevention Program as well as for Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders. She is the past Chair of the Association for Gender Equity Leadership in Education (AGELE).
Her areas of particular expertise include civil rights, cultural diversity, educational equity, gender equity, multicultural education, reducing bias in schools, preventing sexual harassment, prevention of bullying, Title IX and Women’s History. She has a B.S. from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; a M.A. from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, and a M.A.T. from Tufts University, Medford, MA.
MARILYN CHIPMAN, EQUITY SPECIALIST COORDINATOR
Marilyn Chipman, Ph.D., is a recognized educational sociologist who has been in the field for over 38 years. She earned the B.A. degree in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Denver, the M.A. in Early Childhood Education from California State University, and the Ph.D. in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver.
Dr. Chipman’s career has included teaching in public elementary school and also in academe with courses for both undergraduate level pre-service teachers and master’s level active teachers and administrators. Her focus is upon multiculturalism, strengthening family/school relationships, and the educational experience of children and youth of color from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th Grade. She has served Metropolitan State College of Denver as a tenured Associate Professor of Education and also served on the faculty of the Texas A&M University System as an Associate Professor. As the Area Coordinator for the MSCD Early Childhood Education Teacher Licensure Program, she was appointed to a number of local and state-level committees, advisory boards and task forces addressing curriculum revision, initiatives and standards. She has held administrative positions on three funded projects. As Race Equity Coordinator in an equity assistance center, she provided consultant services and training for school districts and agencies within the six states comprising Region VIII.
Dr. Chipman has been a presenter at conferences nationwide and has been a keynote speaker in numerous educational venues. Internationally, she has spoken on cultural diversity within America’s public schools at the University of London, the University of Hong Kong, the International Council for Innovation in Higher Education in Vancouver, and the Educational Research Association in the nation of Singapore. She is a published author in both early childhood education and cultural diversity. She has been honored for her work in the field of education and for her service to the community. Dr. Marilyn Chipman is dedicated to assisting others to achieve their highest levels of expertise to benefit the children and youth they serve.
JANELLE JOHNSON, EQUITY SPECIALIST COORDINATOR
Janelle Johnson received her elementary teaching degree with a specialization in ESL from Northern Arizona University. She taught various grades of math and science courses to bilingual and ESL students in Guatemala and in Arizona for eight years. Janelle received her doctorate in the department of Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies at The University of Arizona after doing research with teachers in Guatemala and Mexico. Her work focuses on professional development with teachers who work with diverse learners, including courses on sheltered English instruction, teacher research, and interdisciplinary STEM teaching and learning. She has presented at many local, national, and international conferences and serves various educational research organizations.
MARCELA PARRA, EQUITY SPECIALIST COORDINATOR
Dr. Marcela Parra previous experience includes positions such as former Assistant Director of the West Regional Equity Network (WREN) Equity Assistance Center (EACs) housed at the University of Arizona. WREN was one of ten federal grant funded centers advocating for educational equity in three major areas: race, gender and national origin issues in the K-12 public, charter, and magnet school system, in the southwest states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. She also has extensive professional experience as a program manager/coordinator in Region VII & IX Equity Assistance Centers as the Race, Gender and National Origin Coordinator for Region VII (Midwestern states).
Her strengths consist of 11 years of educational program management. This includes working in collaboration with community-oriented agencies such as the Parental Involvement Resource Centers (PIRCs), National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE), California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME) as well as the United Negro College Fund Special Programs (UNCFSP), Association of Gender Equity and Leadership in Education (AGELE) and Tohono O’odham Community College and Nation.
Most importantly, she has 16 years of experience in the public education arena ranging from teaching in both elementary and middle school levels to higher education. Parra has wide-ranging professional and personal experience working with diverse communities such as Latino, African American, Native American, non-traditional immigrants, and refugees in addition to diverse organizations, parents, students, school administrators, educators and school districts, as well as university faculty and project directors.
Dr. Parra also has experience in program evaluation and has worked with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Department of Education in Region VII evaluating English as a Second Language (ESL) programs pertaining to non-compliance issues and concerns.
Dr. Parra received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University, with a focus on Multicultural, Bilingual and English as a Second Language, National Origin, Gender, Race and Educational Equity and her Masters of Education in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from Northern Arizona University.
AMBER MOZET, EQUITY ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST/OFFICE COORDINATOR 
Amber Mozet works as an Equity Assistance Specialist/Office Coordinator. While new to the Equity Assistance Center and its mission, she has over eight years of administrative support experience in a higher education environment. Most recently, she worked on a Teacher Quality Enhancement grant, which helped prepare pre-service teachers working with diverse student populations. Amber is excited about serving the Center, using her office management skills and grant-funding background and learning along the way. She has a B.A. in Psychology with a German minor from Metropolitan State College of Denver (2006).
