Ileana Vasu

Dr. Ileana Vasu is a professor and chair of mathematics at Holyoke Community College (HCC) and a STEM educator, researcher and consultant. She was the 2016 recipient of the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award. Her interests include STEM education, implications for diversity and inclusion in STEM spaces, promoting, researching and advancing culturally responsive teaching and mentoring. She is also passionate about mathematics and promoting teaching with inquiry. She has worked as Principal Investigator on two notable S-STEM grants. Of these, the current grant, STEM Cohorts for Research and Engagement (SCoRE), focuses on embedding culturally responsive practices in program interventions. Dr. Vasu has designed and facilitated workshops focused on culturally responsive pedagogy and mentoring specifically designed for STEM faculty and STEM programs. Regionally, Dr. Vasu is one of the founders of the New England Community for Mathematics Inquiry in Teaching, NE-COMMIT, a community of more than 200 college and K-12 mathematics educators from New England advocating for active and inquiry oriented teaching. In her spare time, Ileana enjoys hiking, running, reading and theater.