CERI Staff
Professor of Sociology
Director, CERI
Welcome to the Community Engaged Research Institute (CERI) at Kent State University. CERI supports interdisciplinary research and public engagement aimed at identifying and addressing disparities that affect communities across our region. Through faculty-led projects, student-driven initiatives, and partnerships with regional organizations, our work advances public knowledge through evidence-based inquiry and meaningful collaboration.
Our faculty are engaged in strong collaborations with groups across the region, ensuring that our work informs real-world decision making. Whether working with local nonprofits to improve educational outcomes, collaborating with community organizations to address housing access, or analyzing data with private industry to improve workforce development and opportunity, our faculty leverage their expertise to address pressing challenges.
Students are essential to our mission. Through CERI-supported assistantships and summer programs, they engage in hands-on research with faculty and community partners to conduct fieldwork, analyze data, and present findings. These experiences prepare students to be informed, active participants in civic and professional life.
Our Impact Fellows are also central to the mission of the Institute, serving as a bridge between the university and broader community. This program brings regional leaders into meaningful dialogue with faculty, staff, and students, enriching our scholarship while advancing community-led initiatives. Past fellows include Dr. José Salinas, Director of the Ohio Migrant Education Center, whose work supports educational access for farmworker families, and Jazmin Long, President and CEO of Birthing Beautiful Communities, a champion for maternal and child health throughout Northeast Ohio. Their leadership reflects the Institute’s commitment to public engagement and the transformative power of university-community partnerships.
I invite you to visit our website and follow our social media channels to stay informed about our research, community partnerships, and funding opportunities. We welcome your interest and encourage your involvement. Together, we can advance work that informs and strengthens our shared future.
Special Assistant
Michael Rosengarten joins us as the Special Assistant for the Community Engaged Research Institute as well as the Healthy Communities Research Institute. He is a previous Kent State graduate with a BIS in Business Administration and English, with intentions to pursue his Masters in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs and hopes to follow up into the Ph.D. program in Higher Education Administration. He joins us from JOANN Fabrics where he was a print & digital planner for their marketing team.
Outside the office, he is also a part of the QUEST Mentorship program on campus. The QUEST Mentorship provides a 1:1 mentor/mentee relationship for students that focuses on career guidance and general support during their time here at Kent State or for however long they want to participate in the program.
Graduate Assistant
Miles Davis-Matthews, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Kent State University, serves as a graduate assistant with the Community Engaged Research Institute. Throughout his time with the Institute, Miles has collaborated across campus, contributing to faculty research in Peace and Conflict Studies and co-creating the 2024 Status of Gender Equity at Kent State report with the Women's Center.
Miles is working alongside CERI Impact award recipients Dr. Elaine Hsiao and Dr. He Yin on a project that expands the paper Two-Eyed Seeing in Earth Observations. The project highlights the importance of Indigenous-led stewardship, data sovereignty, and capacity-building tools for tribal communities.