Our Team

Sarah Stroud joined the Department of Philosophy and the Parr Center in 2018. She was previously Professor of Philosophy at McGill University, where she taught from 1993 to 2018. She holds degrees from Harvard (A.B.) and Princeton (Ph.D.). She works across central areas of moral philosophy, with a particular focus on foundational issues in moral psychology and moral theory and on the intersection of such issues with metaethics and the philosophy of action. She has published papers on such topics as partiality, moral demandingness and overridingness, lying and testimony, practical irrationality, and the moral implications and significance of personal relationships. She co-edited Weakness of Will and Practical Irrationality (OUP, 2003) and the International Encyclopedia of Ethics (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).

Michael Vazquez received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2020 and completed the post-baccalaureate program in Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. His research centers on Ancient Greek & Roman philosophy. He also has research and teaching interests in democratic theory, ethics, logic, and philosophy of education. Michael is committed to forging lasting, democratic, and collaborative partnerships between the academy and the community, and to cultivating the philosophical voices of people of all ages. You can find a copy of Michael’s CV here. You can learn more about Michael’s community engagement and public philosophy efforts here.

Alex Richardson has been Director of the renowned National High School Ethics Bowl program since 2019. He is an award-winning teacher and an advocate for public and pre-college philosophy pedagogy—particularly in ethics and civics education. Alex received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2021. In addition to his work at the Parr Center, Alex teaches courses in ethics and political philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at Elon University and serves on Boards of Directors for the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and Ethics Bowl Canada, as well as on the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Pre-College Philosophy.

Vanessa Moore’s professional background is in education, and she has experience creating meaningful programming, teaching, and working with young people of all ages. Most recently, she provided immigration support and enjoyed exploring Chapel Hill with international students and scholars at UNC’s ISSS office. Vanessa received her B.A. in American Studies and French Studies from Colby College, and her M.Ed. in Higher Education from Harvard University. She is excited to work with undergraduates and help them engage with ethical concepts, ideas and concerns at the Parr Center.

Emily Krumberger (she/they) is an audio producer, educator, and creative who has a background in community media, youth work, and podcasting. Emily received her Master’s in Education from the University of Minnesota’s Youth Development Leadership program. Her field study focused on radio as a public space for youth leadership, civic dialogue, and governance. In 2018 she helped found, and later directed, the nonprofit Listen Up Youth Radio. Emily oversees the Parr Center’s administrative, communications, and financial functions, as well as managing the Parr Center’s physical space.

Michael Prinzing is a philosopher and scientist who studies human flourishing. That is, his research integrates empirical and philosophical methods, with the aim of better understanding what it means to be well and live a good life. Michael received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022 and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Baylor University. Along with others at the Parr Center, Michael is organizing a quasi-experimental study to investigate how philosophy outreach programs might promote intellectual and civic virtues.

William (Will) Kanwischer is a Ph.D. student in the Philosophy Department at UNC Chapel Hill and the Graduate Assistant at the Parr Center for Ethics. Will’s primary philosophical interests are in ethics and the history of philosophy. Recently, his work has focused on the possibility of moral obligations to dead people. At the Parr Center, Will assists with the National High School Ethics Bowl program and serves as project lead for the NHSEBBridge initiative, which seeks to bring public philosophy to under-resourced schools in North Carolina and around the United States.

Aurora Yu, M.A.
Intergenerational Outreach Fellow, 2023-2024

107D Caldwell Hall
kyaurora@email.unc.edu

Aurora Yu is a fourth-year graduate student in the Philosophy Department with interests primarily in Early Modern Philosophy, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Moral Theory, and 20th century Continental Philosophy. She is charged with planning, overseeing, and helping to deliver Intergenerational Colloquia Series for older adults in the Chapel Hill area.

Dashiell Shulman
K-12 Schools Outreach Fellow, 2023-2024

205 Caldwell Hall
shulmad@email.unc.edu

Dashiell (Dash) Shulman is a first-year Ph.D. student in Philosophy. As the K-12 Schools Outreach Fellow, Dash will oversee and implement a number of grant-funded programs centered on promoting ethical reflection among middle and high school students.

Aditi Duttachowdhury
Undergraduate Assistant, Parr Heel Programs, 2023-2024

Aditi Duttachowdhury is a junior studying Public Policy and Political Science with a minor in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. She has been the Undergraduate Assistant for Parr Heels Programs since 2022 and she helps plan and coordinate events as well as handle administrative tasks. Outside of the Parr Center, Aditi is on the Mock Trial team and also in the Policy Students’ Association.

Susanna King
Undergraduate Assistant, National High School Ethics Bowl, 2023-2024

Susanna King is a third-year Philosophy and English major from Durham, NC. She is a Parr Center undergraduate fellow, and is currently contributing to research about the quantifiable impacts of pre-college ethics education. As a lifelong advocate for pre-college philosophy, Susanna cares about cultivating spaces like the NHSEB where young people are taken seriously. Her interests include mental health, the philosophy of education, feminist perspectives on the ethics of self-regarding action, and the relationships between life, literature, and philosophy.

Samara Galo
Media and Communications Intern, 2023-2024

Samara Galo serves as the Media and Communications Intern, working across the Center’s web and social media presence, promoting events, and supporting all the Center’s programs with communications and marketing tasks. Samara is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Philosophy and Psychology with primary interests in ethics, metaphysics, and clinical psychology.

Lorelai Sykes
Sound Editor, Chapel Phil Podcast, 2023-2024

Lorelai Sykes is a UNC senior majoring in Journalism and Global Studies with a minor in Arabic. Lorelai has worked on the Chapel Phil podcast as a producer and a co-executive for three years and loves every minute of making philosophical and ethical conversations accessible for everyone. In the past, she has worked with NPR’s Next Generation Radio and UNC’s student radio show, Carolina Connection.

Heidi Segars
Undergraduate Assistant for Program Assessment & Evaluation Fellow

Heidi is a junior from Raleigh, NC studying Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Education. As an Ethics Fellow in the EthicsEd pod, she is passionate about incorporating ethical conversations into various educational spaces. She is excited to combine her interests in psychology research and ethics outreach to assess the efficacy of Parr Center programming, both on and off campus.