Regennia N. Williams, PhD
Participants in the December 2024 Seminar for Visiting Fulbright Scholars included (left to right) Dr. C. Dueke-Eze (University of Lagos, Nigeria), Dr. Regennia N. Williams (WRHS, 2010 Fulbright Alumna, Nigeria), Dr. Olasunmbo Afolayan (University of Lagos, Nigeria).
During this busy season of board and officer elections, proposed funding cuts, and advocacy activities, I decided to carve out some quiet time to thank some of the people who helped reactivate our chapter in 2021 and/or have continued to support our work through the spring of 2025.
Gabriel Angulo in Front of WRHS Library Books.
I will start with my colleagues at the Cleveland History Center, headquarters for the Western Reserve Historical Society. From the very beginning, President & CEO Kelly Falcone-Hall, Dr. John Grabowski, and Dr. Sean Martin agreed to work with me to co-host and participate in special events, strengthen community partnerships, and share valuable resources to enhance our capacity-building activities. By 2023-2024, Gabriel Angulo (pictured below) had agreed to join me in serving as the co-president of our chapter, a position that he held until he left the Western Reserve Historical Society to take advantage of a new career opportunity in Chicago.
I also want to express my gratitude to Case Western Reserve University’s Dr. Deborah Lindell, who currently serves as our chapter secretary, and Tiffin University’s Dr. Perry Haan, our treasurer. Because of their ongoing support, both our chapter records and our financial house are in order, and we are in good standing with the national office.
Andrew Kovach (Cleveland Council on World Affairs), and Teresa Mastrangelo (U.S. Department of State).
As a chapter, we are also fortunate to have the support of colleagues at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA). For three consecutive years, we have partnered with CCWA to welcome hundreds of international Fulbright scholars to Northeast Ohio for professional development seminars, networking opportunities, and other activities, including scholarly presentations by both our visitors and members of our local chapter.
Needless to say, we are indebted to CCWA’s Andrew Kovach and the U.S. Department of States’ Teresa Mastrangelo for supporting the most recent programs for visiting scholars in December 2024. (Please see pictures from this program at the beginning and end of this article.)
If that is not enough to convince you that our chapter continues to be actively involved in international education and related activities that are in keeping with the mission of the Fulbright Program, please watch for a special June-July article that will include profiles and photos of the Fulbright alumni who have served on our board from 2021-2025, and the newly elected members of the leadership team for 2025-2026. Until then, I invite you to reach out to me via email at regennia@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
Happy Summer! –-Regennia