Welcome ABE North Carolina

The ABE Program Office is excited to welcome our 24th ABE program site: ABE North Carolina. This site is supported by the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCATSU) and led by Dr. Joseph Graves. ABE North Carolina will serve school districts in central North Carolina.

Due to a history of residential segregation in North Carolina, its goal will be to engage districts that have differential enrollment of underrepresented minority students. This is consistent with NCATSU’s mission as a Historically Black Land Grant University and the goal of ABE to diversify participation.

Meet the Team

Joseph Graves, program site director, is a renowned geneticist and the first African American evolutionary biologist. Currently an associate dean for research and a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina A&T University, Graves’ professional work is rooted in the evolutionary genetics of aging and untangling genetic misconceptions around the biology of race and racism in American society.

Dongyang Deng

Scott Harrison

Liesl Jeffers-Francis

Cailisha Petty, site coordinator/ABE ambassador,

Kristen Rhinehardt

Misty Thomas

Please welcome the ABE North Carolina team to the ABE family!