Meet Our Staff

Our projects are lead by a multidiscipliary team of passionate professionals representing a variety of roles in the UM community. 

 

 

Accordion Group

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  • Robin Faith Bachin

    Robin Faith Bachin (she/her)

    F o u n d i n g   D i r e c t o r    a n d   A s s o c i a t e   P r o f e s s o r

    rbachin@miami.edu Robin Bachin

    Robin F. Bachin is the Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor of History, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, and Founding Director of the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (CCE) at the University of Miami (UM). She received her B.A. from Brandeis University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, with Highest Honors in History and the History of Ideas. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. Her areas of research and teaching include American urban, environmental, and cultural history. Bachin has published numerous articles and book chapters, and delivered scholarly and public presentations, on topics including universities and civic engagement, community development and urban planning, and the intersections of urban and environmental history. Her first book, Building the South Side: Urban Space and Civic Culture in Chicago, 1890-1919 (University of Chicago Press in 2004) won the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Illinois History and Heritage. Other books include “Big Bosses:” A Working Girl’s Memoir of Jazz Age America (University of Chicago Press, 2016) and a co-edited volume, Engaging Place, Engaging Practices: Urban History and Campus-Community Collaboration, forthcoming from Temple University Press. Her current book project is “Sun, Sand and Surf”: The Transformation of the South Florida Environment and the Struggle to Save It.

    Bachin also is a nationally renowned leader in promoting civic engagement in higher education and has won numerous awards for this work. These include the 2020 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award from Campus Compact for exemplary leadership in advancing student civic learning and enhancing higher education’s contributions to the public good; the 2019 Impact Award for Excellence in Community Development from the South Florida Community Development Coalition; the 2016 Spirit of Service-Learning Award from the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of America; the 2015 Phi Beta Kappa Key of Excellence Award for exemplary cross-campus commitment to advancing the civic purposes of higher education; and the 2013 Community Engagement Educator Award from Florida Campus Compact. She led the effort for UM to receive the 2016 Award for Most Engaged Institution of Higher Education from Florida Campus Compact and the 2015 Carnegie Classification in Community Engagement. She has received fellowships from the Graham Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Teagle Foundation, and the Driehaus Foundation to support her scholarship. Bachin also has secured over $2.5 million in funding to support CCE’s university-community projects promoting affordable housing, urban resilience, and equity in community development in South Florida.

     

  • Marisa Hightower

    Marisa M Hightower (she/her) 

    A s s o c i a t e   D i r e c t o r 

    mhightower@miami.edu Marisa Hightower

    Marisa Hightower is the Associate Director in the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (CCE), at the University of Miami, providing strategic and administrative leadership, which includes partnering with faculty, students, staff and community partners to promote collaboration that addresses the goals and missions of CCE. In addition to over 20 years in program management, Marisa Hightower holds a B.A. in English and a Master’s in Communication Studies, which included original research on territorial behavior in public green spaces. Prior to joining the Office of Civic and Community Engagement, she was the Senior Program Manager at the SEEDS (A SEED for Success) program, which was previously funded by an NSF-ADVANCE Award. For seven years, Marisa worked closely with Kathryn Tosney, Ph.D., SEEDS Director and Professor of Biology, to foster an interactive and highly effective community that helped to create a climate of diversity and inclusion for faculty across all disciplines.

    Marisa serves on the Executive Board of the Women’s Commission at the University of Miami. Since 1971, the Women’s Commission works to create possible sustainable change for the status of women on the University campus. She also serves on the ACE Women's Network Florida Steering Committee.  She volunteers as an Assistant Scoutmaster during her free time.

  • Camila Zablah

    Camila Zablah (she/her) 

    S e n i o r  P r o g r a m  M a n a g e r

    czablah@miami.edu 

    Camila is an urban planner with a background in traditional architecture. She moved from her native El Salvador to the United States to obtain an architecture degree. After working as an architectural designer in Chicago, she moved to Miami and transitioned into urban planning. The introduction to urbanism during her architecture studies made her realize how much of a broader impact there is at a larger scale, focusing on all the elements that make up a city rather than just its buildings. She recognized the potential of working with communities to understand their unique challenges and enhancing cities through thoughtful planning. Having recently pursued a master's degree in Urban Sustainability and Resilience at the University of Miami, Camila looks forward to working on the mitigation of risks and adaptation to the current and future climate-related challenges that our communities face. 

  • Chelsea Lafrance

    Chelsea Lafrance (she/they) 

    R e s e a r c h  a n d  D a t a  P r o g r a m  M a n a g e r

    clafrance@miami.edu Chelsea Lafrance

    Chelsea is a Research and Data Program Manager at the University of Miami’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement. She has over five years of experience in advancing equitable housing policy initiatives through strategic collaboration and data-driven insights. Chelsea is skilled in leading complex projects using GIS mapping and data visualizations to enhance community engagement and inform decision-making. She manages online tools featured on the Miami Housing Solutions Lab and has been involved in facilitating the Community Scholars in Affordable Housing Program since she joined the Office of Civic and Community Engagement in 2019. Chelsea holds a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Miami Herbert Business School.

  • Monique Mahabir

    Monique Mahabir (she/her)

    G r a d u a t e    A s s i s t a n t  

    mxm193684@miami.edu Monique Mahabir

    Monique is a Ph.D. student in the Community Well-Being program at the University of Miami. Graduating from Lynn University with a B.S. and M.S. in Psychology, she has experience working in quantitative, qualitative, participatory action, and program evaluation research. Monique’s research interests center around advocating for K-12 public school students. She aims to investigate and dismantle the oppressive structures preventing students from gaining resources, opportunities, and mental health support. These aims intersect with her role as a Graduate Assistant working on the Public Housing and Community Development project with the CCE, consulting Miami-Dade County on affordable housing and community development projects. In addition to her role with the CCE, Monique is a member of the Engagement, Power, and Social Action (EPSA) research team, an associate of Collaborators Consulting Group, an editor of Collaborations: A Journal of Community-based Research and Practice, and assists in mapping local networks of organizations addressing climate and heat-related issues in Miami with the Training in Heat-Related Equity and Disparities (THREAD) Research Collaborative. 

  • Juan Chaves

    Juan Chaves (he/him) 

    G r a d u a t e   A s s i s t a n t 

    jsc@miami.edu 

    chaves_cw.jpg

    Juan Chaves is an accomplished composer, conductor, and educator known for his unique fusion of pop, jazz, and Latin American elements.

    He has participated in numerous projects across various styles, both in the U.S. and internationally, demonstrating a passion for music that transcends genre boundaries.

    Currently, Juan serves as the Graduate Assistant for the High School Partnership at the University of Miami’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement (CCE), where he is a first-year doctoral student in Jazz Composition. With over five years of teaching experience, he is dedicated to bridging the gap between education and community, supporting meaningful connections for student success.

     

  • Clay Tobin

    Clay Tobin (he/him) 

    R e s e a r c h  C o n s u l t a n t 

    cxt1065@miami.edu 

    Clay is a recent graduate from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree in statistics and a passion for data analytics. Clay will be assisting our office in preparing graphs and charts using data from Miami Housing Solutions Lab to support the development of the Miami community, as well as integrating new data into CCE's public resources. 

     

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