President
Dr. Abby Reiter is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she teaches a variety of courses, including introduction to sociology, sociological writing and rhetoric, exploring masculinities, and sociological theory. She co-created a course on race and racism, and a course devoted to feminist theories. She earned her PhD from George Mason University. Her research typically uses qualitative or mixed methodology to examine experiences with, and manifestations of, various types of interpersonal and institutional oppression, such as racism, heteronormativity, and sexism, and the maintenance of power associated with these systems. She is involved with social justice and inclusion initiatives at the university. She is a member of multiple boards and committees devoted to advancing sociological knowledge, and she is the current President-Elect of the North Carolina Sociological Association.
President Elect
Dr. Tangela Towns, is an Associate Professor of Sociology and the Interim Director of the Office of Student Research. Three key words encapsulate Dr. Tangela Towns’ professional brand: empowerment, advocacy, and awareness. Dr. Towns’ teaching empowers young scholars to think critically and with the confidence to be aware of human behavior and interaction, social systems, inequality within such systems, all while having the skill to advocate for social change.
Dr. Towns’ scholarship and service focuses on health behaviors, health disparities, health outcomes (obesity and diabetes) and food security, food environment/access in the African American Community. Her research advocates for improvements in despaired communities, informs the community by empowering those with the agency to change environmental injustice in minority communities and provides awareness to improve health outcomes. Her service on campus empowers both students and faculty. She currently serves on numerous committees, including the last 4 years as an Executive Council Member of NCSA.
Secretary
Dr. Miranda Reiter is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she is the coordinator of the medical sociology minor for the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. She teaches a variety of courses, including social statistics, social research, health and society, and health inequalities. She earned her PhD from Utah State University and worked as a postdoctoral research assistant at Sam Houston State University. As a social epidemiologist, she studies how social processes and factors impact the health of groups and individuals and contribute to health inequalities. Most of her research focuses on health disparities related to race and other social categories. She is devoted to social justice and is involved with inclusion and diversity efforts at her university, and she is a past President of the North Carolina Sociological Association.
Past President
Dr. Reneè D. Lamphere is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego, where she majored in Communication Studies and Public Justice and minored in Sociology. Her graduate studies were at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a Master’s degree in Criminology in 2007, and a PhD in Criminology in 2012. Her areas of academic interest include corrections, mixed-methods research, family violence, school violence, and cyber and digital-media crimes. Dr. Lamphere has a particular interest in teaching and pedagogy, and has published in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and recently wrote a book chapter about teachers and their role in K-12 school violence. She also serves as a Guardian ad Litem for Robeson County, North Carolina, where she advocates for children in the foster care system due to abuse and neglect. Dr. Lamphere is an advocate for sexual assault survivors and actively promotes sexual assault awareness on college campuses. Her most recent research project examines the #MeToo movement and sexual assault disclosure among college professors.