REHR Center Team

Co-Directors

  • Kevin Moncrief

    Kevin Moncrief, PhD

    Vice President for Mission Integration

    Kevin Moncrief received a BBA in general business/computer science from Washburn University of Topeka, a MA in management/computer resource management from Webster University. Professor Moncrief received his PhD in management from the Claremont Graduate University Peter F. Drucker/Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management in 2010.

    He taught analytics, business research, marketing, and other courses at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California. At SUA, Dr. Moncrief teaches a course in regression analysis in the SBS concentration in which he draws upon 20 years of management consulting experience, including serving as a partner/principal at Ernst & Young and as a vice president of Capgemini US LLC. Professor Moncrief has started three high-tech startups and led two others. He is married and has two daughters—one graduated from SUA in 2010—and two sons. Dr. Moncrief is a veteran of the US Air Force and the US Army.

  • Lisa MacLeod

    Lisa MacLeod, PhD

    Associate Professor of International Studies

    Lisa MacLeod received her PhD from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of International Studies. She also holds a MSc in Sociology from the London School of Economics where she focused on ethnic conflict and nationalism, and political sociology. At SUA, Dr. MacLeod teaches courses on international relations, human rights, international law, the United Nations, and conflict resolution. She is grateful for the opportunity provided by the REHR Center to develop a new course, “Race, Ethnicity & Human Rights.” Her recent research focuses on Women, Peace and Security and other thematic issues on the UN Security Council agenda.

Faculty Fellows

  • Headshot of Danielle Denardo

    Danielle Denardo, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Sociology
    Core I & II Coordinator

    Danielle Denardo received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Denardo’s research focuses on health, stigma, and social inequalities in Africa and North America. Her current research projects examine health behaviors and the lived experience of health conditions in different epidemic and social policy contexts. Dr. Denardo teaches courses on health disparities, race and ethnicity, families, and research methods. She has also taught learning clusters on topics such as Covid-19 and global inequalities, medical racism and violence against women, and period poverty.

  • Headshot of Oleg Gelikman

    Oleg Gelikman, PhD

    Associate Professor of Comparative Literature

    Oleg Gelikman received his Ph.D. in Humanities (Comparative Literature) from the Humanities Center at Johns Hopkins University. He is an Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Soka University of America and served as Director of the Humanities Concentration. His primary field of expertise is the aesthetics of prose from Enlightenment to Modernism. His interests include critical theory, conceptual history and history of criticism (formalism and semiotics). His articles appeared in Angelaki, boundary 2, Comparative Literature and Culture, MLN and edited collections (Modernism and Theory; Modernism and Film; Messianic Thought Outside Theology). He also translated theoretical texts from Russian and French. His current project, Inceptions of the Political, concerns retrieval of names, concepts and figures immobilized or elided in the vernacular of political theory.

  • Headshot of Fatima Rahman

    Fatima Rahman, PhD

    Visiting Assistant Professor of International Studies

    Fatima Rahman received her BA in Political Science and International Relations from UC San Diego, her MA in Political Science from UC Riverside, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from UC Irvine. Dr. Rahman’s research focuses on the intersection between religion and politics in the Middle East and the broader Muslim world, particularly focusing on the rights of minorities and women. Her academic interests are motivated by her family’s roots, cultural heritage, and minority status in the region they emigrated from. Dr. Rahman’s most recent work examines the behavior and attitudes of Muslim Americans. She teaches courses on the Middle East, Islam, research methods, and American Experience. A native of San Diego, she enjoys the sun, the beach, and staying active in her free time.

Student Fellows

  • Jordan Bravo is wearing a yellow cross country tank top that says SOKA in navy blue letters with a white baseball hat, and a pink lei around his neck. He is a holding an award.

    Jordan Bravo

    Class of 2025

    While at Soka University of America, I have centered my coursework around Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), attaining greater insight into the discrimination many ethnic and religious minorities face within their respective regions and other parts of the world. Growing up as a first-generation student with immigrant parents from Latin America, discussions surrounding ethnic discrimination, mainly targeting the Latino community, have been a relevant issue, igniting a personal commitment to address discrimination against all communities. With this in mind, although issues concerning the Latino community are very close to my heart, the MENA has historically been underrepresented regarding activism, academia, and discussions of racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination. For this reason, I feel it is essential to use my opportunity as a REHR Center student fellow to stimulate inquiry, research, and constructive dialogue addressing the racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination in the MENA. I apply this same mindset within the athletic community on campus. As Captain of the Cross-Country team, a Soka representative in the California Pacific Conference Student-Athlete Council, and as Soka’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Vice President, I always strive to ensure my teammates and fellow athletes feel at home and their concerns are addressed. I also enjoy going on runs with my teammates, hanging out with friends, skating, and watching soccer games (especially La Liga MX).

  • Headshot of Carol Krein Robinson

    Carol Krein Robinson

    Class of 2025

    As a girl who grew up in an extremely miscegenetic and racially diverse country like Brazil, I’ve always questioned social patterns regarding skin color, phenotypes and the power dynamics that come with them. Meanwhile, I was also trying to understand the intrinsic connections between my privilege as a white person and the opportunities that had been given and denied to me. When I moved to the United States, I faced a strong cultural shock when I realized how differently people see race there and how suddenly some people didn’t see me as “truly white” anymore due to my ethnic background.

    Because I am both an International Studies and Social and Behavioral Sciences student, I feel a great responsibility and interest in exploring matters of race and how they affect societies all over the world, in order to search for solutions on a local and global scale.

  • Headshot of Diana Ibarra

    Diana Olivera Ibarra

    Class of 2024
    I grew up in Milwaukee, WI, which is one of the most diverse cities in Wisconsin. However, it is also one of the most segregated cities by race and ethnicity. I was raised and grew up in the Latine community in Milwaukee. Living in a place like this, I became very curious about the issue of race and ethnicity. I would also go visit Mexico, not the touristy places in Mexico, but the rural areas where my parents grew up. Being able to visit this place and learn about the places that my parents came from, along with coming from a predominantly Latine community in Milwaukee influenced my decision to learn about race, ethnicity, and human rights.