As a multi-industry Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Strategist, Dr. Paris Andrew’s workflow lands at the intersection of K-20 Enrichment, Health Careers, Health Equity, Educational Technology, Workforce Diversity, Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs, and the Nonprofit Sector.  As Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the North Carolina Health Education Center (also known as NC AHEC). Paris’ exemplary accomplishments include being  awarded a $2.6M grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) branch of the Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS) to direct the NC AHEC Scholars Program and accompanying Pre-College Health Career Pathway programs. Paris leads statewide DEI initiatives to advance Health Equity and efforts to recruit, train, and retain individuals from rural, low-income communities and traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds into health professions programs and the healthcare workforce. 

Prior to joining NC AHEC, Paris served as Director of Partnerships and Engagement for Duke University’s Talent Identification Program. In her past experiences within Gifted Education, Paris has Project Directed a $2.2M Javits Grant for Project Launch Plus through the U.S. Department of Education. The project was operationalized and presented upon nationally as an excellence model program committed to growing the capacity for sustained computer science education for gifted culturally, linguistically and economically diverse (CLED) youth.

Why Mo-saiq

In her transformative years of childhood, Paris often wondered why her family chose to drop her off at a distant elementary school rather than simply letting her take the bus with friends to her neighborhood school. She would soon learn that her parents worked hard to identify a school they felt would expose her to what they perceived as better education. They applied, and Paris got accepted into a gifted and talented (GT) magnet elementary school. As an eventual researcher and practitioner working in the outside of school time (OST) gifted education space, Paris often pondered “In what ways, if at all, did her parents exercise social capital despite being from a minoritized background?” Paris’ mother would soon share that a societal influence to her decision was that she knew of the Principal who was an active member of legacy-minded organizations and well-respected in our community.  Upon reflection, Paris was reminded of Khalifa, a researcher who found that when principals have visibility and advocate for community issues, they gain increased buy-in, trust, and positive interactions between school and community. Paris is a beneficiary of these experiences that culminated in her trajectory as an exemplary student in the Health Sciences and as a talented leader in the Healthcare Industry forging equity-centered pathways into the STEM workforce for youth and adults from traditionally underrepresented communities.