About Dr. Clement

Academician & Equity Warrior: I am an epistemophile on a journey to expand minds, normalize equity, create curricula/programs that are culturally relevant, and foster spaces that affirm, empower, and celebrate all of humanity.


Leslie Clement Gutiérrez, Ph.D.

My Mission and Purpose: As an educator-ally with underserved populations; my teaching, scholarship, and service is dedicated to bridging communities as well as transforming discourses, policies, and practices that disenfranchise and disempower real lives. As a believer,  I strive to do all things on/with a higher purpose in an effort to honor God and others.

Abbreviated Bio: Dr. Leslie Clement Gutierrez is a Par Excellence Assistant Professor and Director of the Honors Program at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU).  She is an interdisciplinarian who holds a Ph.D. in English with concentrations in Composition & TESOL, a graduate certificate in Africana Studies, and both her master's and bachelor's degrees in Spanish. As a seasoned educator who is credentialed to teach within four disciplines, she has been teaching since 1999 and has served as a University Licensure Supervisor for World Languages & TESL pre-service teachers in N.C. She is HBCU-educated (proud Spelman College alumna💙) and has served as an HBCU-educator since 2005.

EDUCATION:
Ph.D. in English, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA,
Concentrations: Composition & TESOL

Dissertation: (Re)framing the Immigrant Narrative: Exploring Testimonios that Counter the Essentialized Images of (Un)documented People in the Discourses of Contemporary United States Rhetoric
Dissertation Director: Dr. Sharon K. Deckert

Africana Studies Graduate Certificate,  UNC Charlotte

M.A. in Spanish,  Winthrop University

B.A. in Spanish, Spelman College

• InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico
San German, Puerto Rico
Fall semester

• Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra Santiago, Dominican Republic, Spring  & Summer. Internship: Colegio Dominico Americano (TEFL Certificate)

• Centro Preuniversitario Andres Bello Spanish Language Immersion School in Caracas, Venezuela

ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS:                       

2024-present: Director of the Honors Program at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) Responsible for providing exemplary institutional leadership of UHP, which supports the recruitment, development, and retention of the university’s highest achieving students. In partnership with faculty and key leaders of the institution, I orient, advise and monitor student success as well as oversee curricular and extracurricular experiences that enhance their talents, skill sets and enforce high ethical and academic standards. I prepare and monitor the budget, submit assessment reports, foster partnerships and pipelines that prepare students for competitive opportunities globally.

2024-present: Co-Chair of the Lyceum Engagement Series (LES) at JCSU. In collaboration with the Provost and Chief Academic Officer at JCSU, we plan, organize and execute a communiversity distinguished speakers series that is co-led by the University Honors Program Scholars. My responsibilities include: (1) preparing the LES calendar of speakers as well as reviewing their intake forms and contracts; (2) creating the LES Committee agendas and facilitating the bi-monthly meetings; (3) collecting and analyzing the feedback from the LES Participant Surveys. Additionally, I organize and prepare the Honors Scholars to serve as the LES Ambassadors and co-moderate the events.

2019-2024: Co-director of the Center of Languages, Rhetoric, and Culture (LRC). Responsible for performing a variety of routine to complex tasks that supported the LRC mission which is to: (1) provide a dynamic hub for student-staff-faculty learning collaborations that foster linguistic & cultural connections; (2) offer academic support in writing and language learning; and (3) transform student attitudes about writing, language learning, and public speaking as well as presentational skills.

2016-2020: University Licensure Supervisor for TESL & Foreign Languages Education (FLED) student teacher candidates in North Carolina, Office of School and Community Partnerships, UNC Charlotte.

2006-2009: World Languages Coordinator
Responsible for developing the general education Spanish course syllabi, selecting texts, scheduling classes, staffing courses, advising students, facilitating monthly meetings, budgeting, administration of placement exams, and submitting annual program evaluation and assessment reports for Johnson C. Smith University

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
2022: Seminar Leader for K-12 teachers, Charlotte Teaching Institute (CTI)                                  

2018-present: Assistant Professor, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU)                                      

2017-2020: TESL & FLED University Licensure Supervisor, Office of School and Community Partnerships (OSCP), UNC Charlotte

2016-2019: Adjunct Instructor for the Department of Education, UNC Charlotte

2005-2017: Spanish Instructor, Johnson C. Smith University

2008-2012: ETS College Board Spanish Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Reader

2004-2005: Adjunct Spanish Instructor, Central Piedmont Community College

1999-2005: Spanish & ESL Teacher, Charlotte Mecklenburg School System

ACADEMIC AWARDS:

2023: National Humanities Center Summer Residency Fellowship

2022: UNCF/Mellon Faculty Summer Residency Fellowship, Spelman College

2022: Faculty Fellowship, UNCF/Mellon Faculty Domestic Summer Seminar, "Africans, Their Descendants, and Native Americans: History and Legacy" at Spelman College.  I was awarded a stipend, transportation costs, housing, food, and participated in seminars facilitated by renowned international scholars to enhance my pedagogy and research agenda.

2020-2021: Par Excellence Teaching Award,  Johnson C. Smith University. This is the university's most prestigious honor in teaching. The award is presented annually to ONE faculty member who demonstrates extraordinary teaching in the classroom and a devotion to touching the lives of students.

2020-2021: Trench Worker Award, Johnson C. Smith University. This award is given to staff and faculty who go above and beyond their job description.

2016-2017: Sit Lux Award, Johnson C. Smith University. This award is given to faculty in recognition of significant scholarly research and publications.

 2015: Co-Recipient, The Voice of Witness Education Program Award
● Student Textbooks for a co-taught interdisciplinary hybrid course.
● Text: The Voice of Witness Reader: Ten Years of Amplifying Unheard Voices
● This was a collaborative grant with Dr. Sharon D. Raynor.

2014-2015: Recipient, Duke Endowment/JCSU Faculty Development Award
● Title: Digital Transnational Testimonios: Re-Shaping Knowledge Construction and Pedagogies through Unconventional
Epistemologies, Ontologies and Methodologies. (Award: $3,500)

2011-2012: UNCF/Mellon Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. I was awarded a one-year sabbatical and $35,000 to cover the majority of my living and research expenses.

1998: Summer Pre-Graduate Research Experience (SPGRE), UNC-Chapel Hill, NC. I was awarded a $3,000 fellowship, room and board, as well as the opportunity to participate in a faculty mentored research project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an SPGRE undergraduate fellow, I worked with an Associate Professor of Anthropology on a sociolinguistic research project that explored Haitian youth and code switching (Haitian Creole/French) in different contexts. I conducted some primary research during my undergraduate studies abroad in Santiago, Dominican Republic by interviewing Haitian students studying at the Dominican university that I was attending.

TEACHING EXPERIENCES: I am credentialed (18+ graduate hours in each discipline) to teach: 1) English (2) Spanish (3) TESL (4) African Diaspora related courses

GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES:   (UNC Charlotte)

(1) TESL 6204: Multicultural Education, (2) TESL 6470 - Internship in Teaching English as a Second Language & (3) FLED 6470 - Graduate Student Teaching and Internship - Foreign Language Education

(4) Charlotte Teaching Institute (CTI) Seminar for CMS Teachers

UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL COURSES:  RHC 130: African Diaspora Seminar:  I created this course in 2019 based on my personal transformational experience that stemmed from my  year-long enrollment in African Diaspora and the World (ADW),  required courses for students at Spelman College.

EDUCATION COURSES: (World Languages Focus):

  • TESL 4469: Advanced Seminar in Teaching English as a Second Language
  • FLED 4469: Student Teacher Seminar: K-12 Foreign Language
  • TESL 4204: Inclusive Classrooms for Immigrant Students  

SPANISH COURSES (En ESPAÑOL):

  • SPA 131-132: Elementary Spanish I & II (Traditional & Online classes)
  • SPA 231-232: Intermediate Spanish I & II
  • SPA 237: Spanish for Social Services (Internship: Catholic Social Services Refugee Resettlement Office)
  • SPA 238- Spanish for Law Enforcement
  • SPA 330 & 338: Advanced Spanish Conversation
  • SPA 438:  Afro-Latin American Cultures, Literature, & Lived Experiences

ENGLISH COURSES:

  • ENG 296: The Rhetoric of Protest Music in Popular Culture (African & Latino Diasporic Movements)
  • ENG 131: English Composition (African Diasporic focus)

SPANISH & ENGLISH COURSES (CROSS-LISTED):

  • SPA 438: Afro-Latino Cultures & Life Stories (English & Spanish sections)
  • ENG 498/SPA 496: Digital Storytelling: Transnational Identities and Movements
    (A special topics hybrid interdisciplinary course that I co-taught and co-designed.)
  • ENG 498/SPA 496: Voces y Activismo Global: Narrativas Digitales de Guerra, Trauma, y Migración/ENG 498-Global Voices and Activism: Digital Stories of War, Trauma, & Migration

TEACHING & STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCES:                                                                                                

2016: Havana, Cuba  • Invited to serve as a Faculty Leader teach a course through JCSU’s Global Center of Excellence during this 2-week study abroad trip.
2007: Santurce, Puerto Rico
• Facilitated a one-week seminar course which included a walking tour to acclimate Johnson C. Smith University Spanish majors to San Juan prior to their six-week summer study abroad at Sacred Heart University.
1998: Santiago, Dominican Republic.
• As a Spelman College Academic Student Fellow, I served as a Spanish tutor & tour guide for Spelman & Morehouse College students under the direction of the program director.

PEER-REVIEWED PRESENTATIONS/PUBLICATIONS:  [Publications]   

Kolano, L. Q., Gutierrez, L., & Sanczyk, A. (2021). Establishing Teacher Allies Through Critical Multicultural Coursework Curriculum. Teachers College Record: Volume 123, Number 13, ID Number: 23746.

Gavarkavich, D. Krontiris, K., Marcus, A., Williams L.M., & Gutierrez, L.C. (2018). Charting the Civic Landscape: The interested bystander in Charlotte context. UNC-Charlotte Urban Institute, Johnson C. Smith University, Knight Foundation, & Google

Clement Gutierrez, Leslie (2017). Refugee Concerns and Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). In TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, Wiley-Blackwell (Publishing: Winter 2017). doi: 10.1002/9781118784235

Gutierrez, Leslie (2011). (Un)documenting the Documented. Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s English Department: WPC&T Journal, 7, 1-5.

To Be or Not to Be: A Woman-Professor-Administrator, NYU Faculty Resource Network: A Journal of Faculty Development. Spring 2008. (in collaboration with Dr. Sharon Raynor and Bernadette Lawson-Williams.

[Scholarly Presentations]

•Webinar presenter, "Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms and Equity-Minded Classrooms,"part the National Humanities Center "Humanities in Class” webinar series

•Co-presenter, "Collecting Oral Histories with African Diasporic Communities." Digital Humanities Series: Getting Started with Oral History. 107th ASALH Conference, Montgomery Alabama, October 2022.

Ganzó, S., Kolano, L. Q., Gutierrez, L.C. & Sanczyk, A. (2022, Apr 22 – 26). Transforming the Lives of Immigrant Families Through Sustained Advocacy: A case study of one community nonprofit organization in North Carolina [Roundtable Paper Session]. AERA Annual Meeting [Theme: Cultivating Equitable Education Systems for the 21st Century], San Diego, CA

Gutierrez, L. C. & Kolano, L. Q. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) (Re)Framing the Immigrant Narrative: Exploring Testimonios That Counter Essentialized Images of (Un)Documented Communities [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/vaffhjb(Canceled due to COVID_19)

Kolano, L. Q., Gutierrez, L. C. & Sanczyk, A. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) Establishing Teacher Allies to Resist Essentialized Racist Nativist Discourses of Immigrants Through Social Justice Curriculum [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA  http://tinyurl.com/ttjye8z(Conference Canceled due to COVID_19)

•Co-Presenter (in collaboration with Dr. Lan Quach Kolano, & Lydia Fergison, "Developing Teacher Advocates for English Learners through Purposeful Field-­‐Based Experiences with Urban School Partners" International Conference on Urban Education, Nassau Bahamas: October 2018

•Co-Presenter (in collaboration with Dr. Lan Quach Kolano, Lydia Fergison, & Danielle Horne),"Developing multicultural self-efficacy of teacher candidates through sustained urban-based school partnerships." NC School-University Partnership Summit at the University of North Carolina Wilmington: October 2017

•Co-Presenter (in collaboration with Dr. Lan Quach Kolano), “Establishing Undocumented Teacher Allies in North Carolina Through Critical Multicultural Coursework.” In Paper Session: Raising Critical Consciousness: Disruptive Teaching Through Engagement, American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, San Antonio: April 2017.

• Speaker, "Digital Activism: Challenging and (Re)Framing Undocumented Discourses in North Carolina by Using Educational Technologies to Enhance Community Engagement." Accepted to co-facilitate (in collaboration with Madai Candia-Zamora, a JCSU undergraduate student) a breakout session at the NYU Faculty Research Network National Symposium on Teaching a New Generation of Students, November 2016, Atlanta, G.A.

• Culturally Responsive & Socially Relevant Second Language Teaching Strategies. Professional Development Workshop for Rising Reader Tutors at the International House, Charlotte, N.C, July, 2016.

• Panelist, “Charlotte as Teaching Canvas: Exploring and Celebrating African Diasporas Through Digital Storytelling,” Black Digital Humanities: Technology and the Information Age Along the Color Line. National Council for Black Studies (NCBS): Charlotte, N.C., March 2016.

•Panelist, “Undocumented Allies Workshop: (Re)framing Racist Nativist Discourses and Building Alliances,” Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, N.C., March 2016.

• Panelist, “Understanding the Reasons and Ways that Immigrants Come to the United States.” The Neighborhood Good Samaritan Center (NGSC): Charlotte, N.C.,February 2016.

• Co-presenter (in collaboration with Dr. Sharon D. Raynor), “Re-Presenting the Global Classroom and Faces of Study Abroad through International Faculty Development and Digital Humanities.” NYU FRN National Symposium: The Global Imperative for Higher Education. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2014.

• Speaker and Moderator, “Nobody Can Tell Our Story Like Us (Testimoniando): Being defined and defining oneself as an immigrant through digital storytelling.” Johnson C. Smith University College of Arts & Science and Immigrant Solidarity Committee co-sponsored lyceum, Charlotte, N.C, 2014.

• Panelist, “Speaking the Unspeakable: Genealogical Truths, Testimonios, and Oral History.” 2014 Southern Humanities Conference, Richmond, VA, 2014.

Panelist, “Historical Memories: From Prosecutions and the Perils of War to
Preservations and Public Memory. 2013 Southern Humanities Conference: Borders:
Real & Imagined, Savannah, G.A. January 31, 2013.

• Panelist, An introduction to my dissertation research:“(Re)framing the Immigrant Narrative: Exploring Testimonios that Counter the Essentialized Images of (Un)documented People in the Discourses of Contemporary United States Rhetoric,” 2011 UNCF/Mellon Conference: Scholars Transforming the Academy: Responding to Challenges, Opportunities, and Threats, Atlanta, GA, October 6, 2011.

• Speaker, “The African Presence in Latin America Culture and Literature”, Johnson C. Smith University, Xi Lambda chapter of SigmaTau Delta International English Honor Society, Charlotte, N.C., 2011.

• Co-Speaker (in collaboration with Dr. Tuesda Roberts), “Film, Television, and True Life Accounts of the Afro-Latino Experience”, San Diego, CA. Accepted to present at 2009 ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages conference.

• Co-Speaker (in collaboration with Dr. Tuesda Roberts), “A Look in the Mirror: Film, Television and True Life Accounts of the Afro-Latino Experience”, AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese), 90th Annual Conference, San Jose, Costa Rica, June 2008.

PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP, BOARDS & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging)                                                                             

  • 2023: Faculty Mentored Research-Activism Experience: Four students enrolled in my African Diaspora Seminar accompanied me to the 108th Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) Conference in Jacksonville, FL
  • 2022-present: Academic Program Committee (APC) member of ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life). Subcommittee: Public History-Museum, Archives, Digital Humanities
  • 2020-2022:  Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board Community Equity Committee, co-chair of the Equity Human Resources, Leadership & Staff subcommittee
  • 2020-2021: Faculty Senate member, Johnson C. Smith University
  • 2018-2020: Co-chair and Board Member of the Southeast Asian Coalition Village
  • 2017-present: Faculty Advisor for the NAACP youth collegiate chapter at JCSU
  • 2016-present: Co-Founder of Undocumented Allies of N.C.
  • 2015-2018: Southeast Asian Coalition (SEAC), English Learners (ELs) Tutor
  • 2015-2016: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Reading Tutor,  NorthStar Literacy Program.
  • 2015: Participant in AFSC Latino African-American Bridge-Building Project (page 3) http://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/July%202015%20Newsletter.pdf
  • 2014-2015: ACLU Charlotte Immigrant Rights Team Member
  • 2011-2016: Immigrant Rights Advocate and Volunteer with the American Friends of North Carolina Immigrant Solidarity Committee (ISC) of Charlotte.
  • 2011: Volunteer Kindergarten Spanish Teacher, Oakdale Elementary School, Charlotte, N.C.
  • 2007: Coordinator for JCSU Spanish and Social Work majors who interned at the Charlotte Catholic Social Services Refugee Resettlement Office
  • 2006: Coordinator for the JCSU freshmen service learning project for After School tutorial sessions at West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, NC.
  • 2006-2009: Volunteer Coordinator for JCSU students who volunteered at the Latin American Festival sponsored by the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, NC.
  • 2005: Volunteer Student & Family Liaison for ESL students at East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C.
  • 2005: Spanish Interpreter, Charlotte Mecklenburg School System Fair.
  • 1999: Spanish Interpreter Intern, Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, G.A.
  • 1996: Interpreter Intern for Cuban Refugees, Charlotte Catholic Social Services.

ACADEMIC SERVICES

2022-present:  ASALH Academic Program Committee (APC). Subcommittee: Public History-Museum, Archives, Digital Humanities                                                                                                                                                                       2020-present: JCSU Center for Race and Social Justice committee member
2021-present: JCSU Mellon Africana Studies Learning Community
2021-2022: Member of the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters Search Committee (JCSU)
2020-2022: JCSU Faculty Senate member
2017-2019: Faculty Advisor for the Collegiate NAACP Chapter at JCSU
2015-present: JCSU Faculty Grievance Committee member
2010-2012: UNCF/Mellon Undergraduate Research Mentor
2008-2016: JCSU Campus Advisor for Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships
2008-2014: ETS College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Reader
2010: JCSU Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Selection Panelist
2007-2008: JCSU International Advisory Board
2006-2007: Member of the English and Foreign Language Faculty Search Committee, JCSU
2005-2007: Coordinator of Spanish Conversation Hour, JCSU

CERTIFIED TEACHING (Coaching) LICENSES:

  • Certified Teachstone Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Observer
  • Certified Candidate Pre-Service Assessment of Student Teaching (CPAST) Supervisor
  • North Carolina State Teaching License (Spanish, Grades K-12)
  • North Carolina State Teaching License (ESL, Grades K-12)
  • TEFL Certificate, Colegio Dominico Americano, Santiago, Dominican Republic

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCIES:

  • English: Fluent
  • Spanish: Fluent
  • Portuguese: Intermediate written and reading fluency.                                                              

 

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS:                                                                                                             

2022: Faculty, Fellow. UNCF/Mellon Faculty Domestic Seminar "Africans, Their Descendants, and Native Americans: History and Legacy" at Spelman College

2019: Participant, "Human Rights Campaign Foundation," Regional HBCU Leadership Summit-LGBTQ Civil Rights Organization workshop, Charlotte, N.C.

2015: Participant, “The City as Teaching Canvas,” NYU Faculty Research Network Winter
Seminar. Athens, Greece.

2011: Participant, “Scholars Transforming the Academy: Responding to Challenges,
Opportunities, and Threats;” UNCF/Mellon Programs Conference, Atlanta, G.A.

2009: Participant, “Writing from Experience: Theory and Practice of Narrative,” NYU-
Faculty Resource Network Winter program, Sacred Heart University, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2008: Participant, “Defining and Promoting Student Success,” NYU FRN Faculty Resource
Network, San Francisco, CA.

2008: Participant, “Building Connections and Communities: Developing the Global Dimension
in the College Curriculum,” hosted by St. Augustine College Raleigh, NC Teaching
and Learning Institute.

2008: Participant, AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese),
90th Annual Conference, San Jose, Costa Rica.

2008: Participant, “Puerto Rican Culture at the Borderlands”, NYU-Faculty Resource
Network Winter program, Sacred Heart University, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2007: Participant, “New Trends in Teaching ESL”, NYU-Faculty Resource Network Winter
Program, Sacred Heart University, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2006: Participant, ACTFL 40th Annual Convention and Exposition, Nashville, Tennessee.

2006: Participant, IALLT/ACTFL Teaching with Technology Workshop, “Teaching foreign
languages within the framework of national standards, University of North Carolina-
Charlotte.

2006: Participant, “Freshmen Academy Summer Institute on Learning Communities”, JCSU.

2005: Participant, “Planning and Developing a Grant Proposal,” United Negro College Fund Division of International, JCSU

2005: E-Portfolios for Freshmen Academy, faculty development workshop, JCSU

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
American Educational Research Association (AERA)

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)

American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese (AATSP)

Southern Humanities Council (SHC)

African American Linguists (OAAL)