Our team
Tara Stamm, Interim Director
Dr. Stamm began her VCU career as an instructor of sociology in 2015 and was promoted to assistant professor in 2019. She has extensive experience in the classroom at both the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as a strong portfolio of scholarship and community service. She has applied her faculty experience to leadership roles in the department having served as the graduate program director for six years and as assistant chair over the past year. She earned a B.A. in English Literature/Religious Studies and a M.A. in Practical Philosophy and Applied Ethics from the University of North Florida; and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Florida State University.
Dr. Stamm’s experience spans a variety of areas of faculty excellence including implementing the first of its kind, in the U.S., concentration in Digital Sociology. She is also the co-founder of the Digital Sociology Lab that works collaboratively with colleagues throughout the community and university to annually offer the Summer Skills Workshop series for students around the country. Her experience as a workshop facilitator in the VCU Building Inclusive Communities initiative resulted in a more culturally responsive classroom as well as co-authorship of the 5th edition of Experience Sociology, incrementally improving its impact on student users. Dr. Stamm has a heart for mentoring students and peers, and engaging students in course innovation.
Contact Tara: tmstamm@vcu.edu
Lisa Webb, Health Sciences Liaison
Lisa Webb, Ed.D., is the Assistant Vice President for Faculty Development, Recruitment and Retention in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, and affiliate faculty in the School of Education. Webb is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and serves as a regular guest lecturer and consultant on the topics of asset-based healthcare delivery, structural competency in health sciences education, and disability theory. Her work focuses on inclusive teaching practices in health sciences education, faculty recruitment and retention, and access to employment and learning for people with disabilities. Dr. Webb advocates for barrier-free learning environments and the transformation of health sciences education to infuse principles of health equity and inclusion throughout the curriculum.
Contact Lisa: lbwebb@vcu.edu
Jennifer Joy-Gaba, Faculty Fellow
Jennifer Joy-Gaba is a Teaching Associate Professor of Social Psychology. Her research interests span both cognitive and social psychology by examining how automatic processes influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Her main line of research focuses on the consequences of implicit cognition on social and perceptual judgments, as well the factors that influence implicit cognition malleability and change. Her secondary line of research focuses on examining whether social factors, like explicit preference, influence visual perception.
As CTLE faculty fellow, Dr. Joy-Gaba will focus on supporting fellow colleagues in their goals for enhancing teaching practices with particular attention to equity and inclusion.
Contact Jennifer: jjoygaba@vcu.edu