Meet the Staff

New Faces at OACS

Clive Mentzel, PhD. | Director of OACS | 615-322-3127

Although raised in South Africa, Clive comes to Vanderbilt University from London and joined the Office of Active Citizenship and Service as Director in July 2012. He has a PhD in Political Science from Johannesburg University and has a special interest in emerging democratic governments and political processes aimed at securing increased political accountability, especially at the local level. In London for the last decade, Clive has been leading the development of a nationally mandated accountability process that holds elected representatives accountable to their constituents. Prior to that, Clive worked as an adviser to some of the participants in the South African negotiation process in the nineties that led to a peaceful transition to democracy in that country, and participated in post-apartheid institution-building.  This, together with a course on Democratic Accountability, is what Clive will teach in the Political Science Department from the spring of 2013.

Email Clive at: clive.mentzel@Vanderbilt.edu

Shalon Malone, MA | Assistant Director | 615-343-7878

Shalon Malone is the Assistant Director in the Office of Active Citizenship and Service at Vanderbilt University. She received both her BA (English and Dance) and MA (Media Communications with emphasis in Public Relations) from Webster University in St. Louis, MO.  Shay’s interest lies in the areas of service learning, social justice, and diversity training ensuring that all students feel welcomed and secure in their campus environments. Currently, Shay is pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Alabama.  Her research topic is evolution of campus culture centers on college campuses.

Email Shay at: shalon.malone@Vanderbilt.Edu

Martha Dale, BA | Administrative Assistant | 615-343-7878

Martha has worked at Vanderbilt for over 20 years. During this time she was honored with employee of the year for her work with Vanderbilt Home Care Services. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University. Martha performs all administrative duties for OACS and she is the primary person for the vehicle loan program and room reservations. Martha has a son, Dwight, and enjoys playing tennis.  Martha is also the 2013 DOS Chili Cook-Off Dessert Champion! Her “Hello Dollys” are out of this world.

Email Martha at:  martha.l.dale@vanderbilt.edu

Amanda Taylor, M.Ed | Senior Program Coordinator | 615-343-2148

Amanda earned her B.S. at Vanderbilt with a double-major in Human and Organizational Development: Community Leadership and Political Science and her M.Ed. in Community Development at Peabody College at Vanderbilt. She works in large part on the areas of service-learning, professional and leadership development, and international experiential learning, and loves the passion Vanderbilt students bring to community engagement.  Amanda was also on the Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis Team and still enjoys playing and coaching tennis.

Email Amanda at: amanda.taylor@vanderbilt.edu

Christine Drasba, M.S.Ed | Program Coordinator | 615-343-2205

Christine earned her B.A. in English and Biology, as well as her Master of Science in Education Degree in College Student Personnel at Bucknell University.   As a graduate student, Christine’s research interests included studying the intersection of Service-Learning, Social Justice, and Leadership Development in college students.  She has experience directing Student Activities, Orientation/First-Year Transition, Leadership Development, and Community Engagement programs in higher education, and has also worked and volunteered with a number of education-focused non-profit organizations.  Christine enjoys challenging and supporting Vanderbilt students as they foster a lifelong commitment to service and become active citizens of the Vanderbilt, Nashville, and international communities.

Email Christine at: christine.e.drasba@vanderbilt.edu

Lauren Moon, M.A. | Program Coordinator | 615-343-8904

Lauren joins OACS following work with the IDEX Fellowship in Social Enterprise in Hyderabad, India where she designed sustainable programs for institutions in the Affordable Private School sector and developed a curriculum to address gender inequalities in education. Prior to India, Lauren worked and studied at Columbia University, earning her M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teacher’s College. As an undergraduate at Furman University, she earned her B.A. in Communication Studies with a focus in rhetoric. Through a variety of domestic and international work with NGOs and for-profit social ventures, Lauren studied the importance of humility and respect for culture and community when serving others. At OACS, Lauren seeks to spark a curiosity within and among students, such that they critically question and explore the nuances of service while learning and effecting social change in their broader world.

Email Lauren at: lauren.moon@vanderbilt.edu

Erika Larson | Graduate Assistant | 615-343-8537

Erika earned her B.A. in Political Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010. She was part of a community leadership program called INVST that ignited in her a passion for international service learning. For the past year she has been learning a lot about experiential learning as a tutor and interpreter for children that are blind in her local public school system. She is excited to be a GA for OACS while she pursues her master’s in International Education Policy and Management. She is looking forward to helping create mutually beneficial relationships between community partners and students. In her free time she enjoys the outdoors and using her hiking boots on any trail she can find.

Email Erika at: erika.l.larson@vanderbilt.edu

Jonathan Davis | Graduate Assistant | 615-343-8537

Jonathan earned his B.A. In Philosophy at Berea College in Berea, KY in 2012. During his time at Berea, Jonathan served as a member of the Bonner Scholars program, which afforded him the opportunity to construct and lead multiple service trips to Senegal, West Africa where he taught E.S.L courses in French.  Working on various service initiatives during his time at Berea really enabled Jonathan to see and value the life lessons that come with (international) service initiatives. He is excited to be a GA for OACS while he finishes his master’s in Higher Education Administration. He is particularly looking forward to helping students maximize their service experiences by linking those experiences with their career aspirations as he did. In his free time (which is rare), he enjoys traveling and trying new cuisines.

Email Jonathan at: jonathan.c.davis@vanderbilt.edu