RRCRE Staff
Dr. David G. Embrick, the Director of Research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity at UConn Hartford, is an Associate Professor with a joint position in Africana Studies Institute and the Department of Sociology, and affiliate faculty at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at UConn. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2006. He is a former American Sociological Association Minority Fellow, Past-President of the Southwestern Sociological Association and the Association for Humanist Sociology, and Past-Founding Co-Editor of the highly ranked academic journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. Currently, Dr. Embrick serves as the Founding Series Editor of Sociology of Diversity, Bristol University Press; and the Founding Series Co-Editor of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, University of Georgia Press. Dr. Embrick’s research has centered largely on the impact of contemporary forms of racism on people of color. He has published extensively on diversity ideology; racism, space, and place; racial microaggressions; and social exclusion in online virtual environments. His most recent research centers on comparative/global anti-Black racism, white sanctuaries, and whitelash. Dr. Embrick has published in a number of journals including Critical Sociology, Sociological Forum, Social Problems, Symbolic Interaction, The Journal of International Sociology and Social Policy, Race and Society, and Sex Roles. He has been invited to give talks on his work in a wide range of venues both academic and public.
Rachel Smith Hale is the Assistant Director of Research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity at UConn Hartford. She has a BA in History and American Studies from UConn and an MA in Early American History from the University of Colorado Boulder. Before joining the Sustainable Global Cities Initiative at UConn Hartford in 2019 – the precursor to what is now Research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity – Rachel was Project Manager and Research Assistant for the Office of the Connecticut State Historian for several years, where her projects included writing for and editing the Today in Connecticut History project (todayincthistory.com) and serving as Administrative Co-Editor of Common-place: The Interactive Journal of Early American Life. Rachel also has extensive public history experience, working with several Connecticut museums as an exhibit writer, editor, and historical consultant. As Assistant Director of RRCRE, in addition to implementing grants, managing communications, and supervising student teams, she is currently focused on exploring the many ways in which mapping software and analysis (GIS) can assist with RRCRE’s future goals and projects.
Katalina Euraque is the Administrative Program Assistant for the office of the State Historian and the Research on Resilient Cities, Racism and Equity initiative. Katalina has provided operational and administrative support to various social impact organizations over the last 8 years, enhancing cross-collaboration, creative problem solving, and contributing to the development of equitable and inclusive environments. She’s excited to join the team, rooted in her love for Hartford and Connecticut.
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Dr. Mayra Rodríguez González specializes in participatory research, geospatial analysis, and culturally responsive approaches to environmental challenges. With an interdisciplinary background spanning Urban Ecology, Landscape Ecology, and Socio-ecological Systems research, her work effectively bridges science, policy, and community action to broaden access to natural resources. During her time as an Extension Forester at UConn and as the lead of the Urban and Community Forestry Extension Program, Mayra has partnered with over 40 organizations, led tree canopy and climate resilience planning efforts across 12 cities, advised 162 decision-makers, and trained 2,603 practitioners.
Dr. Ryan D. Talbert is an assistant professor of sociology; faculty affiliate of the Africana Studies Institute and the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy at the University of Connecticut; and principal investigator of the Health Equity Lab. He is a medical sociologist who utilizes quantitative methods and conducts three interrelated lines of research on (a) the social foundations of health, (b) the sociology of race and racism, and (c) the causes and consequences of criminal legal punishment. The thread tying together his research program is an aim to understand the health effects of ubiquitous and normative behavioral, cultural, and criminological extensions of systemic racism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness.
