2003 Cohort – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Alumni Accolades, Fall 2026

Marta Holliday, IRT ’03
Marta was recently promoted to the rank of full professor at Alabama State University. Marta was first hired in 2011 and received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2017.

“Thank you to the IRT for your continued support of me, from my graduate school application process in 2003, to my journey to my PhD from the University of Iowa, to the job search and tenure application process and now to my journey to becoming a full professor. I am especially indebted to the dedication of my IRT mentors Ms. Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 and Ms. Alexandra Cornelius, IRT ’91.”

Mayra Canizales Cruz, IRT ’07
Congratulations to Mayra an IRT and Donovan Urban Teaching Scholar alum who has been selected to participate in the Pahara Fellowship Program.

The program was founded in 2007 and their mission states: “Our mission is to strengthen and sustain values-driven leaders who are transforming public education so that every child is prepared to lead a free and fulfilling life.”

Mai Thai, IRT ’10
Mai was promoted to Associate Professor of Sociology at Occidental College. She also published a book, KID COPS, about U.S. policing and the American educational system, from the University of Chicago Press. Additional resources for teachers using the book in class can be found in the KID COPS Reading, Discussion, and Teaching Guide.

New Book by Tiffany Joseph, IRT ’03 Comments on the US Healthcare System

For nearly a decade, respected sociologist and Northeastern University professor Tiffany Joseph, Andover ’00, IRT ’03, researched the impact of health reforms like the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare on everyday people’s ability to access health coverage and care in our complicated US healthcare system. In her new book, NOT ALL IN: RACE, IMMIGRATION, AND HEALTH CARE EXCLUSION IN THE AGE OF OBAMACARE (Johns Hopkins University Press; March 2025), Joseph reveals how Obamacare’s documentation status exclusions alongside persistent structural racism in the healthcare system reduced healthcare access for Latino immigrants and citizens. Her 200+ interviews with immigrants, providers, and advocates in Boston drives home an essential point: access to coverage does not guarantee access to care in a system that prioritizes profits over people.

Alumni Accolades, April 2025

Délice Williams, IRT ‘96
Williams has a new article in the winter issue of the journal Modern Language Studies, which was published on Jan 31, 2025. Williams is an associate professor in the English Department at the University of Delaware.

Tiffany Joseph, IRT ’03
The release of Joseph’s newest book Not All In: Race, Immigration, and Health Care Exclusion in the Age of Obamacare is available via Hopkins Press, March 2025. Tiffany D. Joseph is an associate professor of sociology and international affairs at Northeastern University.

Read author commentary by Dr. Joseph.

IRT Presence Virtually and On the Road

Interacting with students and colleagues has always been a strong area of focus for the IRT. These past few months have kept our team busy on the road as many regional events begin to expand their formats to include in-person sessions. The IRT has taken these opportunities to connect and further the discussion of shared experiences and mutual goals with educational and community partners across the country.

IRT Alumni on the Move at the UNCF/Mellon Programs Conference

Answering the Call to Transform the Academy
UNCF/Mellon Programs Conference: October 6-8, 2022
Atlanta, GA

IRT Education Programs Specialist Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 attended the UNCF/Mellon Programs Conference in October, where she also gave a presentation about IRT programs to new Mellon Coordinators and caught up with IRT alumni who were guest panelists during the two-day event.

Renee Johnson-Thornton, IRT ’05
Senior Program Associate and Associate Director of MMUF at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was one of the guest speakers during the Conference Opening titled “Answering the Call to Transform the Academy.”

George Pratt, IRT ’22
A current senior at Morehouse College, Pratt participated on the Mentee/Mentor Relationship panel during the UNCF/Mellon Programs Conference in Atlanta. George accepted the Marshall Scholarship while working with the IRT this fall and will pursue his MPhil at the University of Oxford.

Alumni Accolades, January 2023

Brittney Yancy, IRT ’03
Brittney holds a masters degree in U.S. History and earned a Ph.D. in U.S. History last year from the University of Connecticut. Brittney is currently an Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies at Illinois College.