Diane Filion Center for
Advancing Faculty Excellence

The Diane Filion Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence envisions a vibrant academic community at UMKC where faculty thrive through professional learning, collaboration, and innovation.

For Faculty, By Faculty.

The Provost’s Office founded the Diane Filion Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE) in response to a growing desire by faculty to have an enriched set of training and development opportunities to support them in their academic pursuits.

Aligned with UMKC's Strategic Plan, CAFE also supports the university's history of excellence as a leading urban research university, nurturing a culture of lifelong learning, pioneering teaching, engagement, and transformative scholarship.

CAFE is dedicated to supporting faculty through professional learning, networking, and mentorship. Throughout the year, selected faculty fellows provide a variety of programming that fosters faculty success through four pillars of excellence — teaching and learning, research and creativity, service and engagement, and faculty life and leadership.

CAFE Logo

Meet the CAFE Team

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Alexis Petri

CAFE Director
Email: petria@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-5872

 

As Director of CAFE, Dr. Petri collaborates with the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs to orchestrate a broad array of faculty development initiatives that align with the ongoing needs of UMKC faculty. Along with delivering evidence-based professional learning opportunities and resources, Alexis' responsibilities include facilitating, designing, coordinating, promoting, implementing, evaluating, and documenting the outcomes of UMKC’s faculty support programs.

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Jaime Braden

CAFE Coordinator
Email: jdbgrt@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-5362

 

Jaime is responsible for overseeing a wide range of meetings, events, and activities sponsored by CAFE and the Faculty Commons. This role includes managing communications with faculty and stakeholders across campus, coordinating the scheduling for faculty events, maintaining the CAFE website, producing the Faculty Affairs Newsletter, and continuously creating dynamic marketing projects and initiatives tailored to specific events.

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Lorie Holt

Pillar Lead, Faculty Life and Leadership
Email: holtla@umkc.edu

 

Leading initiatives for the Faculty Life and Leadership pillar, Lorie develops and coordinates programming and resources for faculty at all stages of their academic career. FL&L programs include New Faculty Orientation, Get Launched, the Leadership Development Program, the Chairs' Forum, and other opportunities directed from Faculty Affairs throughout the year.

Faculty Fellows and Program Facilitators

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Arif Ahmed

Dean, School of Management; Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Email: ahmedar@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2319

CAFE Focus: Chairs' Forum

Jenifer Allsworth

Associate Professor and Vice Chair, Biomedical & Health Informatics
Email: allsworthj@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-1781
CAFE Focus: Teaching in the Context of AI

Kylie Barnes

Director, Applied Skills & OSCE Implementation; Clinical Professor, Pharmacy
Email: barneskn@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2187
CAFE Focus: Faculty Mentoring

Christopher Beach

Visiting Assistant Professor, Music Performance
Email: cbeach@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2900
CAFE Focus: Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship

Antonio Byrd

Assistant Professor, English Language & Literature
Email: antoniobyrd@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2764
CAFE Focus: Teaching in the Context of AI

Marsha Huber

Associate Teaching Professor, Accountancy
Email: mh5xc@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-1372
CAFE Focus: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Debra Leiter

Associate Professor, Political Science & Philosophy
Email: leiterd@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2793
CAFE Focus: Engagement and Vitality

Joey Lightner

Assistant Professor, BHS Program, Nursing
Email: lightnerj@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-1703
CAFE Focus: Faculty Liason (Health Sciences)

Yifei Liu

Associate Professor, Pharmacy
Email: liuyif@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-6820
CAFE Focus: SOAR Research Mentoring

Clancy Martin

Curators' Distinguished Professor, Political Science & Philosophy
Email: martincw@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-1326
CAFE Focus: Public-Facing Scholarship

Marcus Meade

Graduate Writing Specialist; School of Graduate Studies
Email: marcusmeade@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-8660
CAFE Focus: Effective and Efficient Writing Pedagogy
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Gwen Nally

Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Political Science & Philosophy
Email: nallye@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-1326
CAFE Focus: Engagement and Vitality

Joseph Parisi

Curators' Distinguished Professor, Music Performance
Email: jparisi@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2919
CAFE Focus: Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship

Karyn Turla

Teaching Professor, Biology; Graduate Program Coordinator
Email: turlak@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-6404
CAFE Focus: Peer Teaching Observation

Luke Wezeman

Clinical Assistant Professor and Vice Chair, Restorative Clinical Sciences
Email: wezemantl@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2100
CAFE Focus: Faculty Liason (Health Sciences)

Larry Wigger

Faculty Director and Teaching Professor, Marketing & Supply Chain Management
Email: wiggerl@umkc.edu
Phone Number: 816-235-2317
CAFE Focus: Faculty Liaison (Volker)

Visit Us

Located on the third floor of Newcomb Hall, CAFE offers dedicated space for faculty to meet, network and collaborate. To enter, please "tap" your UMKC ID card at the door.

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