Tina L. Kandakai is the founding Director of the Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement. She received a bachelor, master, and doctorate in Health Education from the University of Toledo, in Toledo, Ohio. Dr. Kandakai has had more than 15 years of experience in higher education including 10 years of teaching courses in health education and promotion. Although the term "experiential education" is not colloquial to her expertise in Public Health, she finds civic engagement and community outreach as critical components to each. Thus, her roll in leading the experiential education initiative at Kent State is a natural fit for her talents. At the forefront, Dr. Kandakai serves as a conduit to communities, helps develop collaborations between faculty and community agencies in need of skilled support, and offers engaging learning environments to students. Her scholarly interests include exploring the impact of public and community capacity on addressing violence and victimization of women and children.

As a Graduate Assistant, Mollie assists in conducting research on various areas of experiential learning and preparing written documentation when required. She also assists in the assessment and evaluation of OEECE programs and activities, as well as in the development of required forms and assessment tools for experiential educations courses and programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Ashland University in 2010 and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Biostatistics at Kent State University.

Colleen Fitzgibbons is a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement where she assists faculty, community partners, and students in accessing engaged learning programs, projects, and activities. She also assists with other campus-based outreach and program planning efforts as well as coordinated the Experiential Learning Plus-1 Credit program and KSU's M3C Fellowship program. Colleen recently graduated from Bowling Green State University with her bachelors in Public Relations with a minor in Health Promotion. She is currently working on her Master in Public Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her public health topics of interest include obesity prevention, tobacco cessation, sexual health, nutrition and exercise. Her ultimate goal it to work in health promotion/education for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Special Thanks to the Faculty Professional Development Center students for their on-going support.