Hooks Institute Leadership Team
Daphene R. McFerren, JD
Executive Director
Contact: drmcfrrn@memphis.edu
As executive director of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the
University of Memphis, Daphene R, McFerren is responsible for strategic initiatives,
program development and implementation, staff management and financial oversight of
Hooks Institute operations. Before joining the Hooks Institute, McFerren was in private
practice in Washington, DC; was senior counsel in the Office of General Counsel at
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission; was counsel to the late Attorney
General Janet Reno; and was later Assistant United States Attorney for the District
of Maryland prosecuting, among other cases, forced labor and involuntary servitude
cases involving foreign victims.
Rorie Trammel, MS
Associate Director | HAAMI Director
Contact: rtrammel@memphis.edu
Rorie Trammel is the associate director of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change. Trammel plays an integral role in the activities of the Hooks Institute, including administrative and operations duties, fundraising and donor relations, and coordination of the Institute's National Book Award. Trammel also oversees strategic planning and implementation of the Hooks Academic Achievement & Mentoring (HAAMI). Trammel is a native of Rochester, NY, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Science, in Education, from the University of Memphis. She is also a former UofM employee, having worked in the Office of Development for fourteen years. Rorie worked for the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South for fourteen and a half years, first as executive director of urban programming and later as vice president for advancement. Rorie was a volunteer radio reader for WYPL, the radio station at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, for many years. She is a member of the New Memphis Institute. Previously, she served on the boards of directors for Partners in Public Education (PIPE), the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Le Bonheur Center for Children and Parents, and the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.
Amy Ruggaber
Assistant Director, Research Coordinator, ASATT Director
Contact: amy.ruggaber@memphis.edu
Amy Ruggaber is an expert in public policy within the arts and culture sector and has worked as a performing artist, educator, arts administrator, and advocate for 20+ years. She has worked with the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change in various contractor roles since 2018 and developed and designed two exhibits for the Hooks Institute at the University of Memphis: “Uplift the Vote” and “The Fayette County Civil Rights Movement and the Photos of Art Shay,” which is currently on display at the Memphis International Airport. Most recently, she served as the Arts and Culture Social Policy Consultant for the "More for Memphis" project, working with cross-sector leaders and community members to analyze inequities in current policy systems and develop recommendations for legislation and interventions that would improve economic mobility for Memphis-based artists and culture-bearers. Previously, she was the manager of the award-winning Fellows Program for ArtsMemphis and has worked locally with Tennesseans for the Arts, Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Company, Hattiloo Theatre, and more. Deeply committed to shining a light on the vital role of the arts in communities, she is an experienced arts advocate and has led advocacy efforts and training across the state of Tennessee and nationwide. An Arts Integration and Community Engagement Specialist, Amy has written and directed over 60 devised theatre pieces with children and differently-abled individuals. She has a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Memphis, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
M. Elena Delavega, PhD
Programs Research Advisor
Contact: mdlavega@memphis.edu
Elena Delavega, Ph.D., MSW, is an associate professor at the Department of Social Work at the University of Memphis (UofM), where she teaches social welfare policy, advanced community practice, and poverty. Her research is complex and multifaceted and consists of three broad areas: understanding poverty, social and economic exclusion, and promoting social and economic development. Delavega evaluates the research component of the Hooks Academic Achievement & Mentoring Initiative and plays an integral role in the writing and publication of the Hooks Institute's Policy Papers.
Curtis Chamblee, MA
Graduate Research Assistant, HAAMI
Contact: c.chamblee@memphis.edu
Curtis Ladrillo Chamblee serves as the Graduate Assistant at the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Chamblee completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees in communication studies before pursuing further studies at the University of Memphis in the Department of Communication & Film. His research interests revolve around the intersections of place, race, gender, and health, with a focus on understanding how these factors influence the representation and navigation of Black masculinity.
As a self-identified Blerd (Black nerd), Chamblee's passion for comics, science fiction, fantasy, and comic book movies has fueled his dissertation topic, which examines the impact of place on representations of Black masculinity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Through his research, Chamblee aims to shed light on how different spaces shape and constrain the portrayal of Black masculinity within popular culture.
Along with his research in comics, Chamblee also does research in social change. An important and timely area of research. Rhetorical fractals: an Afrocentric analysis of #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd, sounds like a significant contribution to understanding the ongoing cycle of state-sanctioned violence against Black individuals and communities. By applying an Afrocentric lens, Chamblee and his mentor likely provided valuable insights into the systemic and recurring nature of these injustices, shedding light on the need for sustained activism and structural change to break this cycle.
Prior to his role at the Hooks Institute, Chamblee served as a peer mentor for the Communication PhD Pipeline Program at the National Communication Association, where he mentors underrepresented often first generation aspiring scholars, guiding them through the doctoral application process, research development, and professionalization. In his current position, Chamblee takes on administrative responsibilities, provides advising support, and advocates for students at the Hooks Academic Achievement & Mentoring Initiative (HAAMI) and A Seat at the Table (ASATT) programs.
