Faculty Type: Staff

As Associate Director of Student Engagement, Shannan develops and oversees several undergraduate co-curricular programs at Kenan. She brings with her an emphasis on “practice,” embodied thinking-feeling, historical materialism, and a healthy skepticism toward the framework of “ethics” when exploring lived questions about what personal, interpersonal, social, and institutional ethics might entail. As a person, Shannan enjoys techno raving, film, and trying to learn to surf! Her dog Krewe is often in the office. 😉

Shannan comes to Kenan having worked with undergraduates in the interdisciplinary humanities classroom since 2006. She was most recently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Haverford College, teaching critical theory across the departments of Political Science, Peace, Justice & Human Rights, Writing, and Visual Studies. She has also taught in the Stern School of Business at NYU, in the Studio Art and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies departments at Stony Brook University, and in Writing, Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, and Global Culture & Theory at Duke. Shannan returns to Duke having received a PhD from the Literature Department and Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies in 2019. She remains connected to Philly (from where she recently came) and NYC through various DIY political-aesthetics endeavors, while nesting now in Durham.

Her publications appear in the journals differences, Camera Obscura, Women & Performance, Feminist Formations, and The Journal of Visual Culture, with invited keywords entries in Finance Aesthetics: A Critical Glossary and The John Hopkins Guide to Critical and Cultural Theory.

Shannan received a Neurosomatic Intelligence Certification in 2023 and has practiced Zen and Mindfulness meditation for 3+ years. She is enrolled to receive a Mindfulness teaching certification through MIEA this summer, and is dedicated to developing trauma-informed, mindfulness-based undergraduate pedagogy and programing.

Christine Mayer-Patel, Program Coordinator for DukeEngage, joined the Kenan Institute for Ethics team in September 2023. She manages the DukeEngage application and registration processes, including travel and visas, as well as supporting DukeEngage events and programming.

Christine has a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration and a Bachelor’s in Political Economy of Industrial Societies. She has 17 years of experience at Duke, during which time her work has focused on stewardship/donor relations and financial management. Prior to coming to Duke, Christine worked at the Volunteer Center of Durham and other nonprofits in North Carolina and California.

Elena joined the Kenan team in November 2024. She is a Program Coordinator for DukeEngage helping manage the Gateway, Brodhead, Decaminada, and Group programs. She previously worked for DukeEngage as a Site Coordinator (SC) in Brazil and Uganda, and currently supports SC training and student recruitment.

Her background is in Engineering Physics, Spanish, Mathematics, and Music. Prior to working for Duke, she was a two-time Fulbright Scholarship recipient and worked with Universities in Bucaramanga and Tunja, Colombia.

Kimberly Dorman is the Administrative Coordinator for the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University.  She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University with 10 + years of experience in Program/Administrative Coordination; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordination; and Financial Management.  In her spare time, she likes to participate in community activities, watch sports, and spend time with her family.  She is excited to bring her talents to the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Laura joined the Kenan Institute for Ethics in November 2023.

As Research Associate, she supports new institute collaborations at Duke University, particularly with the Native American Studies Initiative (NASI), and provides event support. She also serves as editorial assistant for Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, which as of 2023 has its editorial home at the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Previously, Laura spent nine years at UNC-Chapel Hill, the last six of which she worked on the development team at Carolina Performing Arts (CPA), one of the nation’s Major University Presenters. Laura is a graduate of Davidson College, and she lives in Durham.

Hillary Train is program director at the Kenan Institute for Ethics. She oversees program implementation across the institute’s priority areas and is responsible for the planning and successful execution of KIE’s major events.

Hillary worked previously as the interim director of DukeCreate in 2022, a program offering free arts enrichment activities for students and staff. She has also coordinated research colloquia, concerts, and major conferences for Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts and has worked closely with Jeremy Begbie, Distinguished Research Professor at Duke Divinity School, to coordinate multi-year research projects and public-facing events. Prior to moving to Durham, Hillary was a program coordinator for Baylor University’s Interdisciplinary Core, an Honors College program serving over 700 students. In this role, Hillary recruited and advised students, coordinated program events, and liaised with faculty, administration, and students on all facets of university life – including assessment and retention; course development and curriculum equivalencies; and co-curricular enrichment opportunities.  She also taught a course for first-year students called “The Examined Life.”