Are you anticipating a difficult conversation in your U-M classroom or among your colleagues?
Difficult Dialogues Meet the Moment coaches are here to help you.
Book a one-hour coaching session for recommended pre-planning—or to support critical response follow-ups if something has not gone as planned. Our trained, experienced facilitators are eager to offer support for U-M community members hosting events or engaging in difficult conversations in their classrooms and on teams.
If you have a small group of people who want coaching around the same event, please submit one request for the group.
Meet our coaches
danny alvarez
Lecturer III, The Program on Intergroup Relations
alvardi@umich.edu
danny alvarez (they/them) is a lecturer with The Program on Intergroup Relations in the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. They’re a passionate facilitator, educator, and organizer who has applied social work practices to their work for the last decade. With practices strongly rooted in popular education and intergroup dialogue pedagogy, they have taught, developed and managed programs at both U-M and Stanford University over the last 5 years. Operating from the belief that social transformation is both necessary and possible, Alvarez is… Keep reading
Roger Fisher
Associate Director, The Program on Intergroup Relations
rogerf@umich.edu
Roger Fisher (he/him/his) is an associate director of The Program on Intergroup Relations. In his role, Roger teaches training and practicum classes, directs IGR’s partnership with the School of Social Work on the Summer Youth Dialogue Program, performs high-level administrative functions for IGR, trains K-12 professionals, consults with other higher education institutions on dialogue programs and works on special Student Life projects. He is an U-M alumus… Keep reading
Jacob Foster
Lecturer, The Program on Intergroup Relations
fostejac@umich.edu
Jacob Foster is a lecturer at The Program on Intergroup Relations. Jacob brings a wealth of experience to their role, with a diverse background spanning various roles at the University of Michigan (U-M) and beyond. Jacob’s commitment to environmental and social justice is evident in their multifaceted career. As an undergraduate at U-M, they excelled as an expert facilitator within IGR. After gaining experience as a research editor, research assistant, and student mentor… Keep reading
Stephanie Hicks
Lecturer IV, The Program on Intergroup Relations
sdhicks@umich.edu
Stephanie Hicks, PhD (she/her/hers) is a lecturer at The Program on Intergroup Relations and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at U-M. Her teaching and research foci include diversity, equity and inclusion policy in higher education, intergroup dialogue and social justice education. As a lecturer, Stephanie teaches courses for the Program and coordinates the Race & Ethnicity Engagement efforts between IGR and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts… Keep reading
Donna Rich Kaplowitz, PhD
Director, Difficult Dialogues Meet the Moment Initiative
Co-Director, The Program on Intergroup Relations
kmax@umich.edu
Donna Kaplowitz, PhD (she/her/hers) is the director of the Difficult Dialogues Meet the Moment Initiative and LSA faculty co-director of The Program on Intergroup Relations. She works in partnership with the Student Life co-director to provide campus leadership in student learning in the areas of intergroup relations and social justice education. Donna teaches in the program, guides curricular activities, leads programmatic efforts to conduct research and is an academic advisor for the minor. Her research focuses on facilitating intergroup dialogue with specific attention to race topics in peer and near-peer settings. Keep reading
Patrick Kazyak-Albaladejo Muñiz
Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Dissemination, The Program on Intergroup Relations
kazyakpa@umich.edu
Patrick Kazyak-Albaladejo Muñiz (they/them) is the associate director for strategic partnerships and dissemination at The Program on Intergroup Relations. In their role, Patrick provides leadership and guidance in the creation, implementation, and assessment of strategic relationships and partnerships to help U-M build capacity for dialogic education and advance the field of intergroup relations education nationally. They are also responsible for coordination of the National Intergroup Dialogue Institute as well as IGR’s consultation program. Keep reading
Kelly E. Maxwell, PhD
Senior Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Education and Engagement, U-M LSA
Board Chair, Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center
kmax@umich.edu
As senior assistant dean, Kelly is responsible for implementing and coordinating undergraduate initiatives in the “engagement” portfolio. Specifically she works with the Center for Global Intercultural Study, English Language Institute, the Program on Intergroup Relations, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, the Language Resource Center, the Kessler Scholars Program, and three Michigan Learning Communities: the Global Scholars Program, the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts, and the Michigan Community Scholars Program. Keep reading
Christine Modey
Director, Michigan Community Scholars Program
cmodey@umich.edu
Christine Modey directs the Michigan Community Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. From 2015 to 2020, she also directed the Peer Writing Consultant Program at the Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan and taught courses in the theory and practice of peer writing tutoring, new media writing for nonprofit organizations, and first year composition. She has published articles about university-secondary school writing center partnerships, data visualization and corpus analysis of writing center session notes, and nineteenth-century literature, and has an abiding interest in networks, collaboration, and community building. Keep reading
Christina S. Morton
Acting Co-Director, The Program on Intergroup Relations
cspr@umich.edu
Christina S. Morton, PhD (she/her/hers) is an acting co-director of The Program on Intergroup Relations. In her role, she provides strategic leadership and administrative support toward advancing IGR’s mission as well as teaches courses focused on the training and development of peer educators in dialogue facilitation. Her research explores diverse students’ experiences with and meaning making of social justice education as well as how cultural resources, such as spirituality, contribute to the success of Students of Color in STEM fields… Keep reading
Todd Sevig
Senior Advisor, The Program on Intergroup Relations
tdsevig@umich.edu
Dr. Todd D. Sevig is currently a senior advisor to the directors at The Program on Intergroup Relations and a senior advisor to the director at the Matthei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum, both at the University of Michigan. He was the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Michigan from 2001 – 2024 after working there since 1989. He is the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD), and the 2004 Mid Career Achievement Award given by the Commission of Counseling and Psychological Services within the American College Personnel Association. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles and book chapters on student mental health, multiculturalism, spirituality, and student peer approaches.
Deborah Slosberg
Assistant Director, The Program on Intergroup Relations
dslosber@umich.edu
Deborah Slosberg (she/her) is the assistant director for The Program on Intergroup Relations. She works with the Student Life team to provide strategic leadership for IGR’s co-curricular programming through CommonGround, SET, and strategic partnerships. She helps coordinate the annual National Intergroup Dialogue Institute as well as provides consultations to outside colleges and universities. Deborah also teaches and assists with research and assessment efforts. Keep reading
Monita Thompson
Co-Director, The Program on Intergroup Relations
monitact@umich.edu
Monita Thompson (she/her/hers) serves as the Student Life co-director of The Program on Intergroup Relations. Her student affairs work of more than 25 years has focused on educating students in intergroup relations and social justice education, specifically the training, development, and support of peer educators in skills and techniques of intergroup dialogue facilitation, conflict management, and supporting students in their journey to becoming a social change agent… Keep reading
Cesar Vargas-Leon
Program Manager, The Program on Intergroup Relations
vargasce@umich.edu
Cesar Vargas-Leon (he/him/his) is a program manager supporting IGR’s CommonGround and other partnerships. He works with a team of graduate and undergraduate students to execute requested programs that raise awareness about social identities, prejudice, stereotyping, power, privilege, and oppression for students who are part of the University of Michigan’s community. Cesar is passionate about transforming spaces, structures, and systems through the art of storytelling. He holds a BA in sociology and Latinx studies from the University of Michigan… Keep reading
Meaghan Wheat
Program Manager, The Program on Intergroup Relations
wheatmeg@umich.edu
Meaghan Wheat (she/her/hers) is the program manager for CommonGround at The Program on Intergroup Relations. She supervises a team of undergraduate and graduate students who plan, develop, and facilitate requested workshops on social identity, communicating across identities, power and oppression in groups, entering communities, and allyship across campus. She also supports IGR’s Summer Youth Dialogue program. Meaghan holds a BA in psychology and political science, an MSW, and an MA in higher education from the University of Michigan. Keep reading
