Fellows 2021-23

Pre-Doctoral Fellows 2021-2023

William Paterson University welcomes its inaugural 2021-2023 class of pre-doctoral fellows. The pre-doctoral fellowship program supports doctoral or terminal degree candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds who bring multiple forms of scholarship to William Paterson University and supports their development as exceptional instructors in their fields. This program aims to advance faculty diversity at the university by engaging highly-qualified advanced standing graduate students of diverse backgrounds in the teaching, scholarship, service and mentoring that will equip them with the skills and competencies for success as tenure-track faculty members.


Jasmine A. Henry

Jasmine A. Henry (Music)

Jasmine A. Henry is a versatile audio engineer and engaging musicologist. She holds a B.M. in Sound Engineering and an M.M. in Music Management from William Paterson University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Musicology at Rutgers University. Her doctoral dissertation is titled “Jersey Club: Race, Place and Independent Music Production in Newark, New Jersey.” Jasmine has recently published work on popular music, race, and technology in the Popular Culture Studies Journal and the Journal of the Society for American Music. As a lecturer, she teaches music business, music technology, and music history courses at The New School, Rutgers University, Felician University, and several other higher education institutions. Jasmine also currently serves as the artistic director and coordinator of the Newark School of the Arts Media Lab where she works to provide marginalized youth with access to music technologies and music industry knowledge.

Post-fellowship update (2023): Dr. Jasmine Henry is now an assistant professor in Music at the University of Pennsylvania.


Shannon Holder

Shannon Holder (Educational Leadership)

Shannon Holder is a doctoral candidate in the Learning, Leadership, and Education Policy Ph.D. program in the Educational Leadership Department at the University of Connecticut. Shannon earned a B.A. in History and a M.T. in Secondary Education from Hampton University. She is from Hartford, Connecticut and, prior to starting her doctoral work at UCONN, taught 10th grade government at an inter-district magnet school. Shannon’s research centers the experiences of students from traditionally marginalized communities who are impacted by educational policies and educational leadership. She aims to use her research to study equity-based initiatives and to uncover how to make the United States educational system more just. Shannon’s dissertation is a phenomenological interview study which uses Critical Race Theory as a framework to understand high school principals’ conceptualization of equity in relation to their school’s detracking policy.

Post-fellowship update (2023): Dr. Shannon Holder is now an assistant professor in Educational Leadership & Instructional Technology at Central Connecticut State University.


Steven Jones

Steven Jones (Psychology)

Steven Jones is a sixth-year social psychology Ph.D. candidate from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He is a diversity scientist focused on investigating issues that impact equal opportunity. Specifically, his work examines majority and minority perceptions of various phenomena, including in-group bias, sexism, and cronyism. His current research explores relationships between races and genders, examining the interaction between race and gender relationships by modeling Black men's support for gender equality. Steven is as passionate about teaching as he is about researching. As an educator, he focuses on the success of his students and strives to provide students with the skills to become innovative, perceptive thinkers and researchers. Steve also aspires to be a mentor who listens and is very transparent and open with his advice. In recognition of the amazing men and women who have mentored him, he works to do the same as an educator for his students.

Post-fellowship update (2023): Dr. Steven Jones is now an assistant professor of Psychology at William Paterson University.


Ashley Lee

Soohyun (Ashley) Lee (Marketing & Management)

Soohyun (Ashley) Lee is a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Baruch College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her research focuses on high performers, job stressors, and cross-cultural issues. She is interested in how social comparison influences employees' emotions and motivations, how technology affects employee well-being, and cross-cultural issues. Her major research projects focus on workplace envy, on being an upward social comparison target at work, and on employee fatigue resulting in using technology for work purposes at home. Ashley has been teaching undergraduate courses at Baruch College CUNY since 2017 and is very excited to join the William Paterson University community. She is originally from South Korea and has lived in NYC for almost five years.

Post-fellowship update (2023): Dr. Ashley Lee is now an assistant professor in Management & Marketing at William Paterson University.