Meet Our Staff
Dr. Charlene Brown-McKenzie
Director, Center for Multicultural Equity & Access
Executive Director, Institute for College Preparation
As a student at Georgetown, Ms. Brown-McKenzie was deeply engaged in several service programs such as CMEA’s Peer Mentors and programs within the Center for Social Justice. A sociology major, she went on to earn a Master in Social Work degree at Columbia University before returning to the Hilltop to work in CMEA’s Pre-College Programs. In 2004, she became executive director of the Institute for College Preparation (ICP) and focused on college and career readiness for students and families in the District of Columbia. She was named director of CMEA in 2014, assuming full responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Center. And as an alumna, she also has a keen interest in expanding CMEA’s connections with generations of Hoyas. In addition to focusing on the access and success of students within secondary, post secondary and graduate education, her goal is to also foster their growth as responsible world citizens. Charlene has developed and led numerous students and staff to Latin America and Africa.
Lex Lewis-Semien
Associate Director of CMEA and Director of Community Scholars Program
Lex is a two-time first-generation graduate. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Texas A&M University, she has experience as a staffer for the nation’s most extensive student-led extended orientation program in the country. In addition, she has worked extensively in scholarships & financial aid and collegiate athletics. She received her Master of Education degree (Student Affairs) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she worked in Residential Life and First Year Experience. Lex infuses the knowledge gained from her past experiences within Financial Aid, Residential Life, and Student Athletics into her work to support the success of her students, peers, and colleagues.
Originally from in and around Houston, Texas she has called the East Coast home for the past 3 years during her tenure at George Mason University as the assistant director for the First-Gen+ Center overseeing a summer bridge program for incoming first-generation college students. When she isn’t designing digital planners/productivity tools, running after her 8-year-old rescue pup Weezy, or learning a new craft she’s currently hyper fixated on, you can find her re-watching the original Charmed series, documentaries or Kehlani music videos/interviews.
Daelyn Moon
Assistant Director of Academic Success
Daelyn Moon is the newest member to the Georgetown community where she will support the Community Scholars Program. Although new to the team, she is familiar with the program having served as the resident director in the summer of 2018. Much of her professional experience has been rooted in the promotion of social justice, equity, and access for historically marginalized students. Thus far, Daelyn has worked in student activities, academic advising, student leadership, multicultural affairs and more across the country. Having navigated post-secondary education as a first-generation college student, Daelyn’s mission is to create a ripple effect of empowerment for college students and help them reach their fullest potential as they prepare for next steps in their personal and professional lives. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science and Spanish from Loyola Marymount University and earned her Master of Education in higher education at Loyola University Chicago. Outside of work, Daelyn enjoys walking in nature, dancing salsa and bachata, game nights with friends, and listening to podcasts!
Jennifer Crewalk
Associate Director for Undocumented Student Services, Center for Multicultural Equity & Access
Director of Group Initiatives, Division of Student Affairs
Jennifer Crewalk joined our CMEA team in February 2020. She joins the Georgetown community with ten years of experience working with undocumented and first-generation college students. Jenn is of Costa Rican, Hungarian and Irish heritage and the second oldest of 8 siblings. Her values of family, holistic health and conscience community ground her advocacy and inspire her racial and social justice work. She believes that community healing can ease activist burnout and supports students to find this balance. In her own care practices, Jenn teaches meditation and yoga and has developed somatic workshops to bring diverse communities together. Jennifer has put herself through school, earning a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in Education in intercultural communications from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in educational psychology from George Mason University. Outside of work and writing, Jenn refuels by hiking in the woods, cooking, dinner parties, and playing with her beloved nephews and nieces.
Nikki Johnson
Assistant Director for School Partnership & Community Engagement for Pre-College Programs
Nikki joined CMEA in June 2008 and serves as the Program Coordinator for School Partnership & Community Engagement. She oversees the recruitment, programming and academic support for the middle school students to ensure they will move on to high school and college. She is a true Washingtonian, attending elementary, middle and high school in the area. Nikki graduated from the Catholic University of America with a Bachelor of Arts in history. Being from the DC area has made Nikki very passionate about giving back to her community and the work she does for ICP. She has spoken with residents at the local House of Ruth and led discussion sessions with teenage moms. Outside of work, Nikki is very compensative and loves cheering on her favorite football and basketball team.
Charlie Lewin-Smith
Assistant Director of Student Success and Multicultural Programming
Charlie Lewin-Smith (he/him/his) served as Program Coordinator for CMEA prior to being an Assistant Director. He joined CMEA after completing a Master of Arts in Higher Education – Diversity & Social Justice at the University of Michigan. He is a community oriented leader who emphasizes meeting people where they are, and using communal and cultural knowledge to find resolutions. While in Ann Arbor, he worked at the Center for Engineering Diversity and Outreach and the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs. In these positions he gained valuable experience in student and organization advising, event planning, feedback analysis, workshop curriculum building, and more. He attended Loyola University Maryland for his undergraduate degree in Public Relations and Information Systems. He was closely associated with the multicultural center at Loyola University Maryland and was a student activist and community organizer. He is originally from Rockville, MD and identifies as Asian American.
Outside of his work, he loves cooking, rugby, and his pet fish.
Elizabeth Velez
Senior Academic Advisor, Pre-College Programs
English Professor Velez, an Alabama native, has been a mainstay of the Community Scholars Program for more than two decades. She retired from that position a year ago and currently works with the ICP program as faculty adviser. She continues to teach in the English Department and in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
Jinli Wu
Graduate Assistant
Jinli (he/him/his) is a new Graduate Assistant for CMEA during the summer of 2023. Jinli is an international student from Zhejiang, China. He is currently a rising fourth-year Ph.D. student in Psychology. He also obtained a Master’s in Public Policy during his time at Georgetown. His research focuses on cross-cultural psychology with a special focus on emotions. Before Georgetown, he obtained his B.S. in Applied Psychology in China and a dual master’s degree in Social Work and Public Health at the University of Southern California. At USC, Jinli used to work as a bilingual mental health therapist, specializing in serving the community of Asian American immigrants.
Outside of work, Jinli is a fervent rock climber and an occasional traveler. He also loves his pet dog, named Mitang, which translates to “rice soup” in Chinese.
Sofia Martinez
Graduate Assistant
Sofia Martinez (She/Her/Hers) is finishing her one year program as a part of the Engaged and Public Humanities cohort, where she focused on transforming higher education structures to be more equitable and sustainable environments for the community. She was a part of Grad Gov where she was their first ever Parliamentarian and ran meetings every month for grad students to work on student issues and advocacy. She attended the University of New Haven where she got her Master’s in Arts in Public Relations. She has worked on different initiatives on campus during her one year program and looks forward to the few months she has remaining so she can continue to give back.
Outside of work, you can find her pretending she’s good at pickleball, trying new sushi spots in DC, and training her dog, Goose, to be a therapy dog who comes to campus.
Ariana Salazar
Graduate Assistant
Ariana (she/her) is currently a second-year Masters student under the Communication, Culture, and Technology Program. Before entering Georgetown, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, and continued to gain 4 years of professional experience in partnerships, events, program management and client relations. At CCT she is focused on learning more about the intersection between culture, context, and technology in development.
Outside of work, she uses cooking, lifting weights, and rewatching tv shows to destress. She is also a major coffee snob and can give recommendations to the best coffee in the city! She is always open to exploring new coffee shops too.