Archives: Staff

Dewoun Hayes is the Assistant Director of Advancement Services and the SALT (Seasoned Adults Learning at Trinity) Program. She oversees the management of donor financial transactions in the advancement department; this role assists in maintaining the integrity of advancement data regarding academics, employment, affiliations, involvement, relationships and contact details, as well as providing support in processing and receipting donations received by supporters of Trinity. For the SALT program, she develops engaging and enriching classes and activities for lifelong learners. Lifelong learning has always been her passion and she is grateful to be able to provide an enriching program to this community.

For almost 25 years, she has worked in higher education in the advancement division. Dewoun is a certified life coach and professional development speaker. Her experience includes event/meeting planning, fundraising, scholarship management, alumni engagement, and research. Dewoun remarks, “I feel that my journey of learning has led me to Trinity and am pleased that I can use the skills I have obtained from various institutions in one place.”

Feel free to contact Dewoun to provide feedback or ask questions about the upcoming SALT season, 708-293-4570 or email, dhayes@trnty.edu.

Raeann VanZee is the art department coordinator and works with the Seerveld Gallery.

About the Seerveld Gallery

The Seerveld Gallery, located in Trinity’s Art & Communication Center, exhibits a cross section of work and viewpoints from across the art world. The gallery presents shows by professional artists each year, from internationally known artists to Chicago artists.

Leah comes to Trinity with a B.A. from Ball State University, an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College, and a  Ph.D. in Higher Education with a minor in African American Studies from the University of Minnesota. Leah’s Ph.D. research explores the history of Black women in doctoral education and the experiences of Black mother doctoral students. Her secondary area of research explores the experience of students and adjunct faculty of color in leadership education.

Leah has over a decade of higher education experience, primarily in student affairs, beginning at Wheaton College. She has served as Assistant Dean of Students for the University of St. Thomas and as Associate Dean for Intercultural Student Programs and Services at Bethel University. She is also the founder and principal consultant for Project 51, which serves leaders and not-for-profit organizations seeking to grow in their approach to justice, to belonging, to equity, and to diversity.

“My commitment to student success centers on the collaboration between student affairs and academics. Success is more than graduation; college is a place where students learn and grow in preparation for life beyond this place. The roles of faculty and staff allow us the opportunity to contribute to student formation in and outside of the classroom intellectually, interpersonally, and vocationally,” said Fulton.

Leah is energized by the possibilities at Trinity as a uniquely Christian college. “At Trinity we have an amazing opportunity to present the gospel in all that we do to students who may have not heard the gospel presented in this way,” said Fulton.

Fran Davis-Harris serves as the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Her position is one that allows her to execute many different tasks and is dependent upon which task takes precedence. Her desire to return to higher education prompted her to pursue her present position. She loves the culture of Trinity. Her spirit connected as soon as she stepped out of her car for her interview.

Prior to Trinity, she worked as the Executive Assistant for a Catholic organization for three years. Before that, she spent 8.5 years working for the Forum for Theological Exploration where she was the Events Manager. This, by far, was amazing work because she flew around the country managing meetings and interacting with amazing people.

Davis-Harris is a wife of 22 yrs, mother of 6 adult children, and grandmother of 13. Six of which live near Normal, IL. She spends a lot of time with them. She is a professional singer and ordained Elder in her church. Other than that, you will find her in the kitchen cooking, which is therapeutic for her or fulfilling orders for her cakes/cobblers.