About Shadia

Shadia brings with her 25+ years of experience as a community organizer, educator and leader.  She has worked in both public and higher education, and holds a B.A from Antioch College and an Ed.M in Organization and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.  

Shadia has been steeped in Antioch since being introduced to the College by her high school principal, Deborah Meier, also an Antioch alum. In 1993 Shadia joined Antioch College and quickly became involved in community and leadership opportunities at the College. At Antioch, Shadia was a member of the Community Council (ComCil) and Administrative Council (AdCil) and led a number of student groups. In 1996 she was elected to the position of Community Manager (CM), where she set policy for and coordinated educational, political, and cultural activities for the Antioch College campus. 

While at Antioch, Shadia was invested in working with community groups and in particular addressing issues of racism and oppression. One of her Co-ops was with an organization called The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond—a national, multiracial collective of organizers dedicated to Undoing Racism. The People’s Institute was co-founded by the late Antioch College professor Dr. Jim Dunn, and grew out of the organizing work of Help Us Build A Nation (H.U.M.A.N.) started by Dr. Dunn, Bill Chappelle, and Yellow Springs villagers in the late 1970’s. 

As a student, Shadia led the process to develop the Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy (RDPP), a core academic course that addressed issues of race, gender, and sex, and she secured funding for antiracist training for students, faculty, staff, and residents of Yellow Springs that spanned over five years. Upon graduation in 1996, Shadia served here at Antioch as Assistant to the President for Multicultural Affairs, Admissions and Community Development. Being the first woman to occupy the post, she developed and spearheaded the fundraising to create an Office of Multicultural Affairs and Community Affairs at Antioch College.  

Her love for Antioch and its motto “Be afraid to die unless you have won a victory for humanity,” has kept Shadia involved with Antioch. Since 2010 she has been an active member of the Board of Trustees and in 2017, she was appointed by the Board to serve as a member of the Board’s Executive Committee.