Daren Ellerbee has been tapped to lead the newly created University Educational Outreach Center. The center, a unit housed within the Office of the Provost, will be dedicated to building more equitable pathways for all students to potentially enroll at Pitt or other selective colleges and universities.
The University Educational Outreach Center will report to Joe McCarthy, vice provost for undergraduate studies. It will manage, coordinate, implement and evaluate University-wide academic outreach programs, including the STEM-focused flagship INVESTING NOW program, while also supporting discipline-focused programs and collaborating with University stakeholders on the development of future programs.
The provost’s office worked with the School of Medicine, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, to make the center a reality.
“Under Daren’s inspiring leadership, I know that the center will both effectively grow and strengthen the University's network among high school teachers; craft strategies to reach constituents that are currently underrepresented at the University locally, regionally, and nationally; and help to advance Pitt's mission of building a larger community of diverse scholars for the 21st century,” Provost Ann Cudd said in announcing the center.
Ellerbe, who assumed the new role on Jan. 18, had served as the inaugural director of Pitt’s first Community Engagement Center in Homewood. Prior to her work at the CEC, she was a community affairs & equity strategist for the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
She holds a bachelor of arts degree in communication & rhetoric and Africana studies from the University of Pittsburgh and a master of science degree in communications and information systems from Robert Morris University. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate in urban education in Pitt’s School of Education. She is a founding member of the Robert Morris University Black Alumni Council, and an advisory board member for the Black Urban Gardeners of Pittsburgh.