Presenters & Speakers - NMU United

LEANNE BETASAMOSAKE SIMPSON is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar, and musician, and is a member of Alderville First Nation in Ontario, Canada. She is the author of eight previous books, including the novel Noopiming: A Cure for White Ladies, short listed for the Dublin Literary prize. 

Dr. Luvelle Brown is an experienced educator who has held positions as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, school CIO, and Superintendent of Schools. Currently, Dr. Brown is serving as the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure in Ithaca, the Ithaca City School District has experienced unprecedented levels of success.

RJ Smith is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe from Wisconsin. He is a culture bearer and storyteller for the traditional game Bagodowe' and teaches this Anishinaabe traditional lacrosse game to youth and adults. RJ is currently assisting the Bad River community in their effort to revitalize this medicine game. 

Dr. Shannon Epplett teaches courses in theatre history, theatre studies, devising, and arts administration. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an MA from Illinois State University. His dissertation, “The Steppenwolf Scenario: The Habitus of Chicago’s Off-Loop Theatre,” traces the cultural and sociological origins of Chicago’s Off-Loop Theatre community. Shannon is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and is developing a performance piece based on the life of Anishinaabe poet Jane Johnston Schoolcraft. Between 1993 and 2009, he worked in the Chicago theatre and dance community as a director, deviser, designer, and arts administrator. 

Dr. Sam Aros-Mitchell is an enrolled member of the Texas Band of Yaqui Indians. As an Indigenous art-maker and scholar, Aros-Mitchell’s work spans the disciplines of performance, sound/light/scenic design, choreography, and embodied writing.

Jelili Adebiyi (PhD) is an agrifood-sustainability scholar-practitioner, behavioral scientist, and system dynamicist with a multidisciplinary scholarly background and expertise. Adebiyi earned an interdisciplinary dual major Ph.D. in Sustainability and Environmental Science Policy from Michigan State University (MSU). Adebiyi’s scholarship is sustainability-motivated and seeks to close the research-practice loop. Dr. Adebiyi's current scholarship revolves around agroecological food governance and GAP food safety standards implementation by farmers and buyers; agroecological and regenerative agriculture adoption and institutionalization; Sustainable and climate-smart food systems in developing countries; food waste auditing and wasted food reduction; waste management behaviors (sorting, recycling, reuse); waste diversion for composting; threatened agricultural lands; aquaponics; food and nutrition security; sustainable school and community gardens; plastic consumption, reuse, and recycling habits; agricultural plastics.

Leslie Warren, NMU’s Dean of Library and Instructional Support, currently chairs NMU's strategic planning team to expand civic learning and civic engagement. Leslie began her professional career as an Assistant Regional Attorney for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. After several years, she became an academic librarian in order to have a more direct role in supporting students and communities. Prior to joining NMU, she served as Assistant Director for the American Bar Association’s Division for Public Education. Leslie earned her B.A. and J.D. from Indiana University-Bloomington and her M.L.I.S. from Dominican University in Illinois.

Gwen Feamster is a first year master's candidate in NMU's Master of Arts in Education- Instruction program, with Higher Education and Policy focus. She graduated in May 2024 with a B.S. in Political Science and Philosophy. As an undergraduate at NMU, Gwen worked extensively with student government and student advocacy, including serving as Vice-President, interim Treasurer, and President of ASNMU.