2024-25 EOSA Scholars
The following faculty members have been selected to participate in the 2024-25 Engagement and Outreach Scholars Academy program.
Senior Teaching Instructor, School of Social Work, College of Health and Human Performance
danielsm@ecu.eduMichael Daniels MSW, LCSW, LCAS, CCS, is a senior teaching instructor and coordinator of The Addiction Certificate Program in the School of Social Work. He has devoted over 25 years of service working with individuals, families and communities impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. His research experiences range from direct clinical practice for youth and adults, to providing clinical services to justice involved individuals within the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. In addition, he provides extensive supervision and education for students entering the addiction and mental health profession. Mr. Daniels along with, Dr. Kelley Reinsmith-Jones, and Dr. Richard Lamb will partner with Koinonia Community Solutions of Pitt County whose mission is to build bridges of opportunity to the underserved in northeastern North Carolina through education, housing, and economic development. Together with the EOSA partner, their goal is to establish standardized research techniques for evaluating existing programs which provide support to vulnerable youth to become successful in school and beyond. Furthermore, they aspire to develop virtual reality simulation training modules designed to prepare students for working with marginalized populations.
Associate Professor, Department of Geological Sciences
Associate Dean of Planning, Thomas Harriet College of Arts and Sciences
leorrie@ecu.edu
Dr. Eduardo Leorri completed his B.S. and PhD in Stratigraphy and Paleontology at the University of the Basque Country, Spain. He has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware USA, University of Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France, and University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. His research focuses on understanding coastal evolution at different times scales within the Quaternary/Holocene from a multidisciplinary perspective. His research incorporates elements of micropaleontology, geochemistry, and sedimentology, and includes the study of Anthropogenic impacts in coastal systems. In his EOSA project, Dr. Leorri will focus specifically on supporting underserved communities that are most affected by multiple and acute anthropogenic impacts. This support will be provided through community-based projects in collaboration with community partners, researchers, students, and backed by NSF funding.
Sarah Maness
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance
manesss23@ecu.edu
Dr. Sarah Maness is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University. She earned a PhD in Public Health from the University of South Florida and MPH from Emory University. She holds a BS in Biological Sciences and BA in Spanish from North Carolina State University. Her research interests are in Social Determinants of Health and health equity among young adults, primarily in reproductive health and community gun violence. She is a member of the ECU Department of Surgery’s Firearm Research Injury Alliance (FAIR Alliance). Dr. Maness’s EOSA project will partner with the Pitt County Firearm Safety Coalition to build capacity for community member involvement in regional gun violence initiatives and to assess community consensus on gun violence solutions in Greenville, NC using qualitative and quantitative methods. The purpose of this partnership is to reduce deaths from community gun violence in Eastern North Carolina.
Lindsey Oakes
Assistant Professor, Department of Recreation Sciences in the College of Health and Human Performance
oakesl23@ecu.edu
Lindsey R. Oakes, Ph.D., LRT, CTRS is currently an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Recreational Therapy program of study in the Department of Recreation Sciences in the College of Health and Human Performance at East Carolina University. Dr. Oakes also currently serves as a Senior Associate within a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, InFocus Advocacy. She has previously served as the Recreational Therapy Program Director and an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in the College of Public Health at Temple University. Prior to her time at Temple University, Dr. Oakes served as an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) of Therapeutic Recreation in the Department of Health and Human Performance in the College of Education at Texas State University. She received her Ph.D. in Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2020 and served as the Student Support Coordinator at the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) program, Integrative Community Studies (previously known as Beyond Academics), for four years where she supported college students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) through the Integrative Community Studies certificate program and provided recreational therapy services to enrolled students with IDD. Dr. Oakes’ research interests include the overall health/wellness and community inclusion of individuals and college students with IDD, inclusion of individuals and college students with IDD in community recreation and campus recreation, best practices for inclusive service delivery within community-based and campus-based recreation, the use of virtual reality among individuals with IDD, IPSE programs, and the use of photovoice with individuals with disabilities to increase community inclusion. Her research has included qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, and community-based participatory action research methodologies.