Meet Our Advisory Council

Christina Cuglovici Abrao (Christie) is the Program Director for Maryland Public Service Scholars, hosted by the UMBC Shriver Center. Christie stepped into the role in December 2024 and has drawn inspiration from Peaceworker in shaping MPSS. She specializes in designing learning initiatives and career training that empower diverse populations to identify and showcase their unique strengths. Christie’s background spans a decade of nonprofit leadership in Baltimore and DC, mainly focused on immigrant educational and career access. She holds a BA in Global Studies from UMBC, an MA in International Education Policy and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from UMD College Park, and is a Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP).

Since 2014, Dr. Ciara R. Christian (she/her) has been professionally engaged in diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice work. Ciara discovered her passion for this work as a result of her experiences in the Peace Corps, where she both noticed and experienced gaps in cultural competency within the organization. This experience served as a catalyst for her return to higher education, allowing her to more deeply explore identity development, social inequality, and social change. Ultimately, this led her to intergroup dialogue as a vehicle for helping others to engage deeply about and across differences. Her practice is rooted in an ethic of radical, revolutionary love and a commitment to helping others see and center our shared humanity.

In 2024, Ciara became a co-founding co-director of UMBC’s Center for Social Justice Dialogue in the Division of Institutional Equity. As a scholar-practitioner, Ciara works both inside and outside of the classroom to help audiences better understand social justice concepts as well as engage in identity development work as entry points to engaging deeply across differences of identity, lived experience, and worldview. Outside of work, Ciara is a lover of culture, language, and travel. She can often be found listening to podcasts, dancing, reading, and spending time with her doghter, Bellatrix.

Eloise is from the Baltimore area where she developed a deep love of the Baltimore community. After graduating with a B.A. in Anthropology from Davidson College in 2006 Eloise worked in Brooklyn, New York at an after school program through AmeriCorps. Eloise earned her M.A. in International Training and Education(ITEP) from American University in 2009 and a TESOL Certificate from UMBC in 2012. From 2012-2023 Eloise served as the Program Coordinator and then Assistant Director for Service-Learning and Community Engagement at The Shriver Center at UMBC where she worked with numerous community partners to connect UMBC students to non-profit organizations as part of applied learning experiences. Eloise now works as a Community Resource Officer with Regional Management, Inc. and coaches Field Hockey and Lacrosse at a local high school. Eloise also serves as a Board Member of Soccer Without Border Maryland and the University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Billy Hwang was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana from 1997 to 2000 and a Peaceworker Fellow from 2002 to 2004. In Ghana, he was based in Taviefe, Volta Region, leading water/sanitation and youth development projects. As a Peaceworker Fellow, Billy was assigned to the CHOICE Programs and Baltimore City Office of Homeless Services while pursuing a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Today, Billy is based in Los Angeles, California, and doing dad duty for Shireen, 15, and Shayan, 12. Professionally, he is a Senior Research Scientist and Program Manager of Regulatory Analysis and Engagement for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). He has over 20 years of experience providing public policy, planning, and management support for local, regional, and state government. At TTI, Billy is closely engaged with the state departments of transportation, providing policy and planning services related to emerging technologies, freight, and statewide long-range planning. Prior to joining TTI, Billy spent four years in the private sector managing transportation funding and delivery projects, and 12 years in staff and executive-level positions in local and state government agencies, including the District Department of Transportation, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, and Maryland Department of Transportation. He is also a licensed attorney in the State of Maryland.

Shantonu Kundu was born and raised in Springfield, VA, twenty minutes south of DC. Since mid-July, Shantonu and his wife have been taking a sabbatical to volunteer in Baja California, Mexico at a small education and nutrition nonprofit. Before that, he was an IT Specialist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, working on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Shantonu was a Peaceworker from 2012-2014, studying Information Systems and helping manage Walden Circle Community Center. From 2010-2012, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Manabi, Ecuador in the Youth & Families program.

Markya Reed is a civic and community engagement professional whose career has focused on youth development and civic engagement. She served in Costa Rica as a Youth Development Promoter for the Peace Corps and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at Morgan State University. Markya is passionate about higher education and is currently the Program Manager for Innovation at Campus Compact!

Originally from the great state of Kansas, Lane Victorson, MSW, LMSW moved to Baltimore when he was awarded a fellowship from the Shriver Center Peaceworker Program at UMBC, after having served in the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros Islands as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1992-94. He has been working in community practice to help people help themselves ever since, in contexts ranging from service corps, to central neighborhoods, to neighborhood schools. Lane is currently a Clinical Faculty Field Instructor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW), where he earned his Masters in Social Work. He serves at the UMSSW at The Center for Restorative Change as coordinator of the Neighborhood Fellows Program, which works to recruit, engage, and excite students about the important world of community-based practice and the need to develop future leadership in this field, via placements at organizations and schools working within Baltimore City neighborhoods. Lane is also an adjunct professor for the UMSSW, and teaches courses in Macro Practice, Community Organizing, Community Economic Development, and Social Planning.

Shaun Watson is a project management, organizational change, and human capacity strategist who has spent more than 25 years working at the intersection of people, processes, and technology. She founded Ventrium, LLC, a project management consulting firm specializing in change management, and serves as its President & Principal Consultant. Her business and professional experience spans procurement and program management in the public and private sectors, international development program initiatives with the federal government, and financial and portfolio analysis in the financial services industry. Her commitment to education and people development extends into higher education, where she has served as an adjunct faculty member and facilitator, and has designed and delivered professional development programs for diverse college audiences. A former Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya and Zambia, she has a longstanding interest in how organizations translate strategy into action through periods of complexity and change, and her work has given her a cross-sector perspective on the systems, relationships, and human capabilities that influence organizational performance. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Sociology from UMBC and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Houston. As a UMBC alumna and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Shaun is honored to serve as an inaugural member of the Shriver Peaceworker Program Advisory Council.

Dr. Rowena Winkler serves as the Assistant Director for Graduate Student Career Development at UMBC’s Career Center, where she empowers graduate students to navigate meaningful career paths and build authentic professional networks. A higher education leader and communication expert with over 15 years of experience across academia and industry, her work is deeply rooted in public service and relationship-centered leadership.

As a former Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Virginia Commonwealth University, she led community-engaged research and integrated service-learning into her curriculum, partnering with local organizations to drive social impact. Dr. Winkler holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park.