Meet the OCE Staff

Professional Staff

Jeffrey Rathlef
Director for the Office for Community Engagement
jeffrey.rathlef@sru.edu
724.738.4764

Melissa Swauger is a Professor in the Department of Social Sciences, College of Liberal Arts. She is new to SRU but has been a faculty member in the PASSHE system for 16 years. Melissa is working with Jeffrey Ratlef to create a proposal for a new SRU Center for Community Engagement and will serve as the Co-Chair of the SRU Strategic Plan Workgroup for Pillar #3: Commitment to Community Impact and Collaboration. Melissa has an extensive background working with nonprofit organizations as a board member and consultant and has led numerous community engagement and service-learning initiatives during her tenure. Melissa is also serving as Co-Director for Women's and Gender Studies for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Joesette Skobieranda Dau
Josette.dau@sru.edu               
724.738.4912

As an adjunct instructor with University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown, UMASS – Amherst and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Josette instructed leadership development and first year experience courses.  At UPJ, Josette was instrumental in realigning First Year Experience (FYE) course learning outcomes, strategically working with 13 FYE instructors to bolster course diversity components through selected readings and national speakers through a Stackpole-Hall Foundation grant.

Prior to joining Slippery Rock’s Office for Community Engagement in 2022, Josette served as director of student engagement with the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.  [Discomfort%20Creates%20Change]SHRS “Discomfort Creates Change” campaign is one of her signature “call to action” initiatives, developed through student artwork.

Josette’s community engagement and extensive service-learning initiatives such as, Kent State University’s “Food Access and Hunger in Northeast Ohio", engaged 300+ students and full-time staff members with13 Northeastern OH food pantries.  An Ohio Campus Compact Speaker, Josette was recognized by the National Association of Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) for a month long focus on autism acceptance, a collaboration with university staff and Northeast OH autism advocacy groups.  

Josette’s advocacy as a Green Dot Trainer with Kent State University, set the stage for being a Title IX Investigator and Title IX Steering Team member with Penn West – Edinboro as well as the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, also with Penn West – Edinboro.  Josette was instrumental in developing the Emotional Support Animal (ESA) living learning community with Penn West – Edinboro, one of two first programs in the PASSHE system at the time.

Her professional interest around international students in American colleges led to, Multi-Layered Support for International Students, a feature story in Mid-Atlantic College & University Housing Officers magazine.  Throughout her career, Josette creatively supervised student and professional staff members while seeking policy feedback and programmatic student input from underrepresented student groups.  Josette advised UPJ’s Black Action Society, UPJ’s National Society of Success and Leadership chapter as well as the UPJ President’s Diversity Working Group’s Best Practices Subgroup Convener.

Josette brings a plethora of experience with academic early alert programs.  Finally, Josette’s prior student affairs leadership roles include student conduct, residence life, leadership development, living learning communities, and work with LGBTQUIA+ Skyfactor baseline data in collaboration with Kent State University’s LGBTQ Center. 

A 2024 recipient of the Butler Collaborative for Families Spirit of Collaboration award and an SRU Bridge Builder of the Year award, Josette holds a master’s degree in counselor education and a bachelor’s degree in community development, both from The Pennsylvania State University.   

Corey Williford
sruvista@gmail.com

Hello, my name is Corey Williford, and I'm serving as a second-year VISTA for the Office of Community Engagement.  I spent my first year as a VISTA serving the Butler County recovery community and Substance Use Disorder.  For my second year, I'll be working with Youth in Poverty, Financial Literacy, and Food Insecurity for Butler County.  I'm a recent graduate of SRU, and my degree focuses on Psychology and Special Education.

Graduate Assistants

Nadine Rice (she/her/hers)
RockServe Graduate Assistant
Graduate Social Work
rockserve@sru.edu

Nadine Rice is the RockServe graduate assistant who manages and oversees SRU’s digital community engagement platform that hosts and onboards community service opportunities for Slippery Rock students. She is a first-year graduate student earning her master’s degree in social work. She received her undergraduate degree at SRU with a major in social work. Being a Butler native, Nadine has a passion for civic engagement in the community. 

Student Staff

Ray Eschenbach (He/Him/His)
Slippery Rock University
RockServe Specialist

Ray Eschenbach is a junior Nonprofit Management and Public Policy major and serves as the RockServe Specialist. In this role, he promotes RockServe to students to encourage participation in service opportunities, and he oversees operations of the Civic Action Scorecard. This includes the implementation of the scorecard in SRU courses, creation and revision of civic actions, and promotion of the scorecard to students and student-run organizations. Driven by the desire to help others and inspire community engagement, Ray is eager to fulfill his role in RockServe and watch the world come together through celebrating diversity, embracing creative expression, and performing civic duties.

Nina Sullivan (She/her/hers)
Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator
nms1025@sru.edu

Nina Sullivan is the Strategic Communication Coordinator. She is a senior Advertising Communications major. In this role, she will execute strategic marketing and communication strategies while showcasing her creative skills to attain specific program goals within the OCE’s communications agenda. Nina is excited to advertise and spotlight the many service opportunities and events available to SRU students through RockServe and OCE aligned with their mission of life, citizenship, and cultivating civic identity.