Office of Community Service-Learning

About Us

Mission • Staff • Students

Mission

The mission of Community Service-Learning at the University of Maryland is to promote service-learning as an integral aspect of education and to foster university engagement within the larger community.

More specifically, we promote leadership, community service-learning, and student involvement as integral aspects of college education. We facilitate leadership learning and community service-learning across curriculum and co-curriculum for lifelong application. We promote leadership, civic engagement and multicultural competence within individuals, groups, and systems for the advancement of the socially responsible citizenry.

Staff

Craig Slack is the Assistant Director and directs leadership, community service learning and the student involvement area at the University of Maryland. He has spent the past 20 years weaving themes of leadership education into community service learning and student involvement experiences in partnership with students, faculty and staff. He serves as the primary advisor to the student government association and oversees the student organizations services area along with the administration of the student activities fee. He directs the co curricular and curricular areas of the Maryland Leadership Development and Community Service Learning programs. He serves as an affiliate instructor in the Counseling and Student Personnel Services department of the School of Education. As the Director of the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs and National Clearinghouse for Commuter Programs Craig has the rich experience of working with approximately 900 leadership educators and commuter affairs professions from around the country and internationally to advance the scholarship, teaching, practice of leadership for the common good.
Kristan Cilente is the Program Coordinator in the Office of Community Service-Learning. She is originally from Hillsborough, NJ, but currently lives in Alexandria, VA. Kristan earned her BA in sociology and history from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and her MA in higher education administration from the University of Arizona. She has most recently worked at Georgetown University as the Assistant Director of Orientation and Leadership Programs. Additionally, Kristan serves as the Chair for ACPA's Standing Committee for Graduate Students and New Professionals. She has a passion for leadership, education, and social change.
 

Denise Cook is the new director of America Reads America Counts.

Julie Owen is the Coordinator for Curriculum Development & Academic Partnerships.

 

Aeriel Anderson is the Graduate Assistant for Community Service-Learning, directly advising TERPcorps. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota, with a BA in strategic communications, political science and business. Her undergraduate senior thesis topic was, “Crisis Communication: A Critical Disconnect in Higher Education.” Aeriel is a first-year Master’s student in the College Student Personnel Program at the University of Maryland. She is passionate about supporting students to reach their full potential through leadership development and community service-learning reflection. Aeriel enjoys recreational reading, traveling and milk duds.

Brian Le is the Coordinator of TERPcorps. He is also the webmaster of the CSL website. Brian is a getting a double degree in Neurobiology and Psychology. He's also the President of Help Center and is an active volunteer with the Children's National Medical Center hospital in Washington, DC. He enjoys biking, goofing around with friends, and can often be found at the CRC hitting the speed bag or benching about 600lbs.

Katie Hershey is the Graduate Assistant for Service Leadership. She earned her BA in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, and is a 2nd-year Masters student in the College Student Personnel Program at Maryland. Katie spent a year in the Public Allies Americorps program, where she did marketing and coordinated volunteers for an early literacy program and worked with a number of other community agencies in Chicago. She has spent the last few years working at the Greater Chicago Food Depository (Chicago's food bank), where she directed the Volunteer Program. Contact Katie if you are a student or student-group leader interested in taking part in service programming and/or finding leadership opportunities in service, ASB, TLI, or EDCP 318.

v Alex Teh is the Graduate Assistant Coordinator for America Reads* America Counts.