Meet the Team

National Advisory Board

In addition to the staff members listed below, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel receives input and guidance from a National Advisory Board composed of local and national leaders in humanities education and community engagement. Click here to see the current roster of board members.

Ra'Shawn Brown - Coordinator

Phone: 216-987-2361
E-mail: RaShawn.Brown@tri-c.edu
Office: EMHC 240

Jensen Hanna - Community Liaison

Jensen Hanna serves at the Community Liaison for the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center- building relationships with community organizations and collaborating on projects, events, and workshops that enhance the Mandel Scholar experience.  In addition to building external partnerships, she loves teaming up with students to brainstorm innovative programming that will help them develop their leadership skills and view their communities through a fresh lens. 

Jensen earned a B.A. in Political Science from Baldwin Wallace University and is currently finishing her certificate of Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C).  In fall of 2017, she was elected President of Tri-C’s SOGE (Sexual Orientation Gender Equality) Council. Jensen is also a 2016 alum of Tri-C’s Mandel Leadership Development Program. 

Off-campus, Jensen and her partner (Emily) enjoy: playing board games, attending outdoor concerts, hiking in the Cleveland Metroparks, and jumping in the car for a road trip with their rescue dog- Rosie.

Phone: 216-987-2603
E-mail: Jensen.Hanna@tri-c.edu
Office: EMHC 240B

Mary Hovanec

Mary Hovanec, Associate Professor of History serves as the Faculty Chair of the Scholars Program for the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy. Recognized for her commitment to students, Hovanec was a recipient of Ralph M. Besse Award for Teaching Excellence and currently serves as advisor to the award-winning Phi Theta Kappa Chi Omega chapter, a position she has held since 2000. She received her MA in History at the University of Chicago and holds a BA in History from Case Western Reserve University. Her teaching load includes courses in the History of Civilization, Russia and the Soviet Union and honors courses. A highly visible leader in the college community, she serves as the Chairperson of the Joint Faculty Senate. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Toledo. 

Phone: 216-987-5482
E-mail: Mary.Hovanec@tri-c.edu 
Office: EMHC 240D

Matthew C. Jordan

Dr. Matthew Jordan is Dean and Chair for Humanities at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College. His role is to provide the leadership and guidance to further develop the Center into a national model for engagement in the humanities. He has served as director of the University Honors Program and as deputy dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. Prior to his administrative roles at Auburn Montgomery, Dr. Jordan served as a member of the philosophy faculty at the university. He has taught at Quincy University, Capital University, and The Ohio State University. Dr. Jordan is a national leader in honors education, publishing and presenting widely in the discipline as well as in the areas of ethics and philosophy of religion. He has also served as a referee for several philosophy conferences and academic journals. His participation in professional organizations includes work with the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Alabama Philosophical Society, the Southern Regional Honors Council, and the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee and Statewide Transfer and Articulation Reporting System. Dr. Jordan holds degrees from Ohio University and Biola University, as well as a Ph.D. in philosophy from The Ohio State University. Dr. Jordan is committed to continuing the crucial work of The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center in developing the next generation of leaders.

Herbert F. Mausser - College Wide Director, Honors & Scholars Programs

Herb Mausser is the College Wide Director for Honors & Scholars Programs, including the Mandel Scholars Academy. He came to Tri-C in 1998, first as a manager in WEDD’s Small Business Environmental Assistance Center at the Unified Technology Center and then as the Environmental, Health & Safety Technology program manager at Eastern Campus. In May 2011, Herb was named Tri-C’s college-wide Assistant Dean for Honors and Experiential Learning Programs. He earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Earth Science from Case Western Reserve University, then spent 10 years in private industry in the geological and environmental technologies fields. In 1993, he fulfilled a life-long desire to teach by becoming the founding director of the Environmental Management Technology program at Kent State University’s Salem Regional Campus. Herb is an appointed member of the Cuyahoga County Local Emergency Planning Committee and an amateur choir director. He and his wife Sonja have enjoyed living in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood for 30 years.

Phone: 216-987-4660
E-mail: herbert.mausser@tri-c.edu
Office: EMHC 240F

Marianna Nesterenko - Coordinator

Phone: 216-987-2607
E-mail: Marianna.Nesterenko@tri-c.edu
Office: EMHC 240E

Emily Quayle, M.Ed. - Student Liaison, Mandel Continuing Scholars Program

Emily Quayle received her B.S. in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel from Kent State University in 2014 and 2017, respectively. Emily worked as the Assistant Program Coordinator for the Rural Scholars Program at Kent State University Columbiana Regional Campuses connecting first-generation students in middle and high school to higher education pathways across Northeast Ohio. She currently works to connect students of the Mandel Scholars Academy to the Mandel Honors College at Cleveland State University. If you are interested in attending CSU, stop by Emily’s office to discuss the possibility! Emily enjoys collecting Funko Pop figurines, reading, and traveling to new places when she is not in the office.

Phone: 216-987-2626
E-mail: Emily.Quayle@tri-c.edu
Office: EMHC 240C