Multicultural Faculty Commission (MFC)
Formed in June 2006, the MFC functions as a constituency group for faculty of color. The MFC addresses unmet and incompletely met community-building needs and provides expanded support for a diverse and global faculty in such areas as scholarship and academic leadership.
Dr. Janet Chang - (On Leave 2022-23, please direct all correspondence to Dr. Johannes listed below). Dr. Chang is an Associate Professor of Psychology at West Chester University and Research Affiliate at Smith College. She earned a B.A. with honors from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. She is a social-cultural psychologist who examines how cultural values and norms-tied to race/ethnicity and social class-influence help seeking, with a focus on first-generation college students. She investigates ethnic/racial disparities in mental health and sociocultural influences on psychological functioning among diverse ethnic/racial groups. Her research has been funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Dr. Daniela Johannes - (Interim Chair 2022-2023). Dr. Johannes obtained her Ph.D. in Spanish and Border Studies from The University of Arizona in 2015. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Languages and Cultures Department. Dr. Johannes has maintained several leadership roles at our University, all of which integrate her teaching and scholarly expertise in Latinx and Border Studies with her dedication to service. She is currently the Director for the Latin American and Latinx Studies Program (LALS) and one of the leaders of the Women of Color Caucus (WORC) in the College of Humanities. She has also served for three years as the Co-Director for the Annual Latina/o Communities Conference. She recently obtained two internal grants to develop a service-learning program in partnership with local Elementary schools, which seeks to engage college students in intergenerational conversations on Latinx social justice. In her time at West Chester University, Dr. Daniela Johannes has created experimental spaces for students-and faculty alike-to engage in diverse communities of learning. Her continuous dedication to extend interdisciplinary bridges within and outside the University shows a commitment from her scholarly expertise in order Studies, to dismantle pernicious categories that systematically affect Latinx populations and other people of color.