The Journey Advisory Committee
Cheryl Cofield
Cheryl D. Cofield is a corporate leadership trainer, life coach, women’s efficacy coach, emotional intelligence coach, Certified Daring WayTM Facilitator, and leading voice in modern diversity and inclusion. With over 25 years of experience, Cheryl has managed complex human resources portfolios for Fortune 50 corporations and served as a civil rights attorney and employment counsel for a myriad of local and national governmental entities. She currently is the director of inclusion and engagement at The Georgia Institute of Technology where she serves as chief dialogue officer, dean of faculty for the Inclusive Leaders’ Academy, curator of transformative narratives and storytelling integration, and chair of the Employee Resource Group Leadership Council.
Cheryl is a highly sought national conference presenter and her award-winning programs have been recognized in publications such as Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Academic Leader, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, The Introvert Energizer, and The Higher Education Workplace Magazine. She has also been featured in the Women Worth Watching edition of Profiles in Diversity Journal. She has served on advisory boards for the College & University Professional Association, the American Institute for Managing Diversity, the Atlanta Diversity Management Advocacy Group, The National Storytelling Network, and The Moth.
In addition to a host of local Atlanta clients, Cheryl has served as an executive/life coach and/or consultant for clients such as Harvard University, The Federal Reserve Bank, Barclays, The Post Naval Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, The Department of Homeland Security & Defense, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Command Staff, Southern Company, and Alcoa Corporation. She enjoys storytelling, story listening, performing magic, fencing, and producing storytelling concerts.
Dr. Tahita Fulkerson
Dr. Tahita Fulkerson has a work history with Tarrant County College that dates from the 1970s when she served as an adjunct English instructor at the South Campus. In 1981, hired as a full-time associate professor of English at the Northwest Campus, she began a varied and full career with the College. Her assignments ranged from department chairperson at Northwest Campus and later as department chair at South Campus to serving as editor of TCC’s 1991 SACSCOC self-study for reaffirmation.
In 2008 she was named the founding president of Trinity River Campus, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she remained until her retirement three years ago. During the years working on campuses, Dr. Fulkerson also served in leadership positions with state and regional organizations for college English faculty, holding in consecutive years the presidencies of the Southwest Regional Association of College Teachers of English and the Texas College English Association. She published more than fifty articles and frequently presented at conferences. She was honored with the Chancellor’s Award for Exemplary Teaching and an Excellence in Teaching Award by the Southwest Regional Conference of Teachers in English in the Two-Year College. She won the Robert Adger Law Award for Outstanding Paper in Shakespeare Studies in Texas.
Other awards included The Bold Woman Award, Girls Incorporated of Tarrant County; the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society; and Distinguished Alumna Award, University of North Texas. Since her retirement, she has served on the Board of Trustees for Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. Dr. Fulkerson has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Christian University and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas.
Hector Menchaca
Hector Menchaca has devoted his life to education. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, he now has the privilege of teaching at the same institution where he was once himself a student, Tarrant County College. The North Side High School graduate went on to receive an Associate of Arts degree not only from TCC, but a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Wesleyan and a Masters of Education from the University of North Texas. He is currently the department chair of behavioral science and associate professor of psychology and sociology at Tarrant County College, Trinity River Campus.
Hector Menchaca is involved and affiliated with committees and organizations too numerous to list. He was presented the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education, recognizing superior levels of accomplishment in the areas of teaching, research and service. Recently, he sponsored Trinity River Speaks, a collaboration between the behavioral science and other departments to open the minds of students, faculty, and staff by bringing world-class speakers on campus.
As a professor of psychology, Menchaca believes that “every student should have an opportunity to attend college in spite of any obstacle that they may encounter in life. A good instructor will enable all students to participate and achieve any goals that the students want to achieve.” He is active in his church and volunteers in the community with Meals on Wheels, LULAC, and the Boy Scouts of America.
Freddie Sandifer
Freddie Sandifer is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and within his community. With over 18 years of academic insight and expert knowledge of two-year institutions, Freddie Sandifer has held key positions in business services, academic advising, financial aid and more. His involvement in numerous community and academic initiatives often makes him the go-to person when a voice of reason, or an innovative critical thinker, is required.
Freddie Sandifer’s experience as a student at Tarrant County College (TCC), provided him with an up-close and intimate perspective of the community college environment. It was at TCC where he received his associate of arts degree, where he has now been employed for almost two decades. While a student at TCC, he became passionate about helping students and creating solutions that changed lives. Sandifer was one of the original founders of The Men of Color Mentoring Program (MCM), an organization created to increase both the retention and success rates of young Hispanic and African-American males. Founded at the Trinity River Campus, Sandifer painstakingly cultivated and navigated the organization from a single campus to district-wide status, where it ultimately grew and received national recognition. Several Dallas/Ft. Worth news outlets, KXAS-TV Channel 5, and KTVT Channel 11, both ran feature stories on the program and its achievements.
In addition to an associate of arts degree, Freddie Sandifer also holds a bachelor of business administration from Texas Wesleyan University, and an M.B.A. from Amberton University. Sandifer currently serves as a financial aid advisor at the Trinity River Campus of TCC, where he provides academic and financial advice for students during their educational journey. As a successful entrepreneur, he also owns two thriving businesses. In the fitness industry, as a certified fitness instructor, he has earned certifications in personal training and nutrition. And second, building affordable housing as a partner in a construction venture.
When Freddie is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife of 21 years, Delain, and their three children: Freddie III, Carrington, and Kennedy. He is also an accomplished musician who plays lead guitar and serves as the music director for The Inspiration Band (TIB), a highly sought-after DFW-based R&B band.
Allison Silveus
Allison Silveus graduated from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in the Biomedical Science Program in 2007. Her master’s thesis dealt with studying the efficiency of the Combined DNA Index System at the Oregon State Police. Shortly after graduating she began work at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center where she was published in the Journal of Immunogenetics in 2009, for Polymorphisms of MICA recognized by human alloantibodies, an MHC Class I homolog. She began teaching at Tarrant County College in 2009 and was hired full time in 2010. She taught microbiology, non-majors biology, anatomy & physiology, filling the role of course coordinator for majors in biology.
While at Tarrant County College she was awarded the Chancellor’s Distinguished Leadership Award in 2013 and 2014 for her work on aligning curricula with the ACGM. Allison has a passion for developing better kinesthetic models for learning. She presented at the Biology Leadership Conference on kinesthetic learning in 2014 and 2015. Shortly after that, she was asked by Pearson Publishing to develop a Ready-to-Go teaching module for two textbooks on transcription and translation so teachers across the country can better incorporate tactile learning. Her dream is to develop more hands-on learning programs for college students in STEM fields. Allison is currently a Texas Christian University doctoral student, participates as a 2018 Global Outlooks on Education (Go) Ambassador, and a Tarrant County College Latino STEM Camp Program Coordinator.