Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives Staff
Kevin Gibson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Email: kgibson@purdue.edu
Dr. Gibson (he/his) is a Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Dr. Gibson earned a B.S from Indiana University, an M.S. from San Diego State University, and his Ph.D in Plant Ecology from the University of California, Davis. In addition to his teaching and research responsibilities, Dr. Gibson serves as an Associate Dean in the Graduate School and as the Program Director for the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership, an initiative funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support Indigenous graduate students in STEM fields.
Odalys J. Torres-Luquis, Ph.D.
Senior Program Manager, Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives (OGDI)
Email: otorresl@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-496-1123
Dr. Odalys (she/her) is the Senior Program Manager for the Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives. As a First-Generation Doctoral student, she earned her B.S from the University of Puerto Rico-Humacao with a major in General Biology. In August 2021, she completed her Doctorate’s degree in Comparative Pathobiology from Purdue University with her research thesis focused on Breast Cancer. Odalys’ goal is to provide access to resources to the students who participate in the OGDI programs so they can have the best academic and professional experience in an environment they feel comfortable with. Odalys likes to read, play video games, and watch movies; sometimes when she realizes she’s been indoors for too long then and only then she likes to go hiking.
Theresa Bescher, M.S.
Program Manager, Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives (OGDI)
Email: tbescher@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-0945
Theresa Bescher (She/ Her) is the lead administrative assistant for the Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives. Theresa received her Bachelor’ degree from Ball State University, with double majors in History and Journalism and a minor in Women’s Studies. In June 2022 she completed her Master’s degree in Organizational and Social Services from Purdue Global. Theresa loves working with the students who participate in OGDI programs and is committed to assisting them to reach their academic and personal goals. In addition to spending time with her husband and teenage son, Theresa enjoys genealogical research, scary movies, and travel.
Casey Hollingsworth
Executive Administrative Assistant, Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives (OGDI)
Email: ccauffma@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-7899
Casey (she/her)
Lisa Brown
Graduate Student Worker, Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives (OGDI)
Email: ogdi@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-7899
Lisa Brown (They/Theirs) is a second-year student in Purdue University’s Clinical Psychology PhD program. They received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College. They are a black queer pangender woman, and they use they/them/theirs pronouns. Lisa's research centers psychotic disorders as well as suicidal ideation and behaviors from an intersectional theoretical framework. They utilize psychophysiological methods such as EEG to investigate these concepts. As a black queer person in graduate school, they feel that it is necessary to help other people of marginalized communities in academic settings to the best of their ability. Outside of research Lisa is a published poet and screenwriter. They advocate for black queer students with The National Human Rights Campaign, and they work on healthy ways to navigate social experiences with teenagers and young adults who are differently abled.
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