Five members of the School of Education (SOE) community—two faculty members and three staff—have been named among 59 women from across Syracuse University selected for the Women in Leadership (WiL) Diane Lyden Murphy Cohort Experience, an immersive learning opportunity designed to advance women leaders in higher education.
To date, four cohorts of 98 women leaders have participated in the experience since it launched in 2022-2023. The current group of women will participate in two cohorts—Cohort 5 and Cohort 6—to be launched in September 2026.
Cohort participants join capacity building sessions to practice and perfect essential leadership skills such as active listening, navigating change, and how to inspire and influence others. Participants also gain institutional insights through presentations that afford a more comprehensive understanding of University operations and how to effectively manage cross-functional and inner disciplinary tasks.
“Cohorts 5 and 6 are composed of impressive leaders dedicated to academic excellence, fostering and delivering an outstanding student experience, and cross academic and administrative collaboration for operational excellence”, says Candace Campbell Jackson, Special Advisor to Chancellor J. Michael Haynie and a Women in Leadership co-founder.
She adds, “We are hosting two concurrent cohorts in 2026-2027 due to the high number of applications we received, and I especially want to thank members of the University community for supporting WiL by nominating cohort members, attending networking events, and sharing their expertise by making presentations or serving on panels.”
Joining Cohort 5
Nicole L. Fonger is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Syracuse University, with dual appointments in the Department of Mathematics and the School of Education.
A mathematics educator for more than 20 years, she earned her M.A. in Mathematics and Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Western Michigan University and held a postdoctoral fellowship in Mathematical Thinking, Learning, and Instruction at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Her research advances meaningful, equity-centered mathematics learning through community-engaged, participatory design that links research and practice in urban school environments. She is the author of Making Algebra Meaningful: A Visual Approach to Math Literacy for All (Teachers College Press, 2024).
As co-founder of the Data Warriors program—a multi-institutional youth participatory action research initiative spanning Syracuse City School District and Syracuse University—she collaborates with teachers and mentors student researchers to support youth mathematical reasoning and data literacy, geospatial awareness, and civic action in the Syracuse community.
Karly Grifasi oversees operations, administration, communications, and events for SOE’s Center on Disability and Inclusion (CDI), the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education and InclusiveU. She leads efforts to support CDI with local and global partnerships, grant management, advocacy and legislative initiatives, fundraising, inclusive study abroad, and the planning and execution of the annual national conference for the field of inclusive higher education.
At the University, Karly serves as a voting member of the University Senate, a First Year Seminar 101 Lead Instructor, an Office of People and Culture Mentor, and a member of the Disability Pride Planning Committee.
Joining Cohort 6
As Librarian for the School of Education, Giovanna Colosi provides research support, information literacy instruction, collection development, and faculty collaboration while also leading the Libraries’ Subject Instruction Team and advancing initiatives that support student and faculty success.
Colosi previously worked in academic advising, counseling, student affairs, admissions, and teaching at several colleges and universities before transitioning to librarianship. She earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Counseling and Human Services from SUNY Oswego, an M.L.I.S. from Syracuse University’s iSchool, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Disability Studies from Syracuse University’s School of Education.
Giovanna’s publications and presentations focus on information literacy, library programming, graduate student engagement, and academic librarianship as a second career. She serves as a reviewer for Choice, Resources for College Libraries, and Educational Media Reviews Online. She is actively involved in national and regional library organizations and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC).
Marieke Kearns career spans more than 20 years in public and private education, both in K-12 and Higher Education focusing on student advocacy. Since joining Syracuse University in January 2018 as Associate Director of the New York State Higher Education Opportunity Program, she has provided support, advocacy, and leadership opportunities for students.
In her current role as Director of Experiential Learning and Partnerships in the School of Education, she engages with district and community partners to develop avenues through which our students can gain experiential learning opportunities for degree and certification completion.
She holds a bachelors’ degree from William Smith College and a master’s degree from SUNY-Oneonta, as well as an NYS permanent certification in K-12 School Counseling.
Julia M. White, Associate Professor in the School of Education, directs the interdisciplinary minor in Atrocity Studies and the Practices of Social Justice and serves on the Executive Board of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
She is Principal Investigator for Project IMPRESS, a $1.4M US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs teacher preparation grant. Prior to entering academia, she was a high school general education English and special education English and Social Studies teacher.
White’s research focus is special educational policy at the national and international levels and inclusive education as a human right.
She has published a monograph, Pitfalls and Bias: Entry Testing and the Overrepresentation of Romani Children in Special Education; numerous book chapters; and articles. Her work has been cited in a European Court of Human Rights decision on the misdiagnosis of Romani students, and she has testified on this topic in regional courts in Hungary and the Slovak Republic.