The Center has a small staff whose members are responsible for the organization's day-to-day business. Kevin Gaines is the Director of the Center which includes the South Africa Initiatives Office. An historian, Dr. Gaines is the author of Uplifting the Race: Black Leadership, Politics, and Culture in the Twentieth Century and most recently American Africans in Ghana: Black Expatriates in the Civil Rights Era. He is a past winner of the John Hope Franklin Book Prize of the American Studies Association and has received fellowships from the National Humanities Center, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

The following is a list of CAAS/South African Initiatives Office staff as well as description of their responsibilities at the Center.

Kevin Gaines, Director	4759 Haven Hall 764-5514
Don Sims, Unit Administrator Don's many responsibilities include fiscal management; preparing the department budget; faculty, staff and temporary appointments; supervision of the office staff. He also serves as liaison between the Department and College; interprets University and College policies; assist with immigration issues; addresses student & faculty concerns; works with development on donor relations; handles sabbatical and leave requests and other HR processes.	4719 Haven Hall 763-5525 donalds@umich.edu
Executive Secretary to the Director The Executive Secretary maintains the director's calendar, coordinates faculty & visitor travel as well as conferences, workshops, seminars, and colloquiums; assists with faculty searches, promotions and appointments; supports requisitions for office equipment and supplies, maintains office files and provides committee support.
Vickie Connor, Archivist Librarian, Museum Registrar Senior Vickie is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing the music archives; acquiring new collections, providing reference services and research support, promoting the use and awareness of the archive, and planning and mounting exhibits for the archive's collections and artifacts.	G648 Haven Hall 764-8338 vrconnor@umich.edu
V. Robin Grice, Librarian, Information Research Specialist Robin manages the Lemuel Johnson Library. A reference and referral library, the library supports the curriculum and general information needs of faculty, staff, and students. Located in 5511 Haven Hall, its collection includes more than five thousand books, videos and audio cassettes. Robin also provides staff support for the Dubois-Mandela-Rodney Fellowship.	5511 Haven Hall 647-5361 gricer@umich.edu
Elizabeth James, Program Associate, CAAS and South African Initiatives Office Elizabeth James is the Program Associate for the Center and the South Africa Initiatives Office. Elizabeth is responsible for assisting with planning, implementing and publicizing the programs which occur at CAAS and also does outreach to the campus community and beyond on behalf of the Center. A native of Detroit, MI who is also a librarian, she is honored to be a third generation storyteller, following in the tradition of her grandmother and mother.	4725 Haven Hall 764-5517 ecnirp@umich.edu
Derrick "Chuck" Phillips, Administrative Assistant Chuck handles the business and financial functions of the department. These include sponsored and non-sponsored research accounts, the daily operations budget, preparing financial reports analyzing financial data, processing travel expense reports and reimbursements, investigating and correcting discrepancies in reports and processing journal entries.	4727 Haven Hall 764-9300 dlphil@umich.edu
Faye Portis, Student Services Coordinator Faye coordinates a variety of activities related to CAAS curriculum, class scheduling and graduation. A long time UM employee, she works one-on-one with CAAS majors and minors to insure that they understand CAAS requirements.	4733 Haven Hall 763-5393 fayemp@umich.edu
Chaquita "Quita" Willis, CAAS Receptionist Quita is responsible for answering the main telephone line for the Center, greeting and directing visitors, placing supply orders for staff and faculty, coordinating the servicing and maintenance of office machines and maintaining the inventory of office supplies. Quita also arranges travel, hotel & catering for CAAS & South African Initiatives Office programs.	4700 Haven Hall 764-5513 quitaw@umich.edu">

Kevin Gaines, Director
University of Michigan Center for Afroamerican and African Studies
505 S. State St.| 4700 Haven | Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045 | (734) 764-5513 | Fax (734) 763-0543

Home | Contact Us | Website Administrator | Copyright & Permissions | UM-Home