Hatfield Prize Recipients

The Hatfield Prize is awarded annually to three student-faculty pairs. Recipients conduct research on social policies that impact vulnerable children, families, and communities, and explore the impact of these policies in their local communities. This semester-long research project culminates in three policy reports that make recommendations for both government and civil society institutions in contributing to policies that promote flourishing communities. The Prize honors the legacy of the late Senator Mark O. Hatfield, who served as a United States senator from Oregon for three decades. Hatfield was known for his principled Christian faith and for his commitment to working across differences to find common ground.

The Center for Public Justice has named the recipients of the 2023 Hatfield Prize. This year’s research examines the impact of specific social policies on underserved communities, with a focus on WIC recipients, trafficking survivors, and returning citizens. The recipients’ research will be published as three policy reports in September 2023.

Kailani West (‘23) is a student at Multnomah University studying global studies with a concentration in culture and diversity. She serves as the student intern for the school’s Voices of Scholars program. She led the Global Outreach committee at her previously attended college and now teaches English at Pamoja House International.

Research focus: Kailani will research factors contributing to immigrant women’s access to food and nutritional assistance programs in Rockwood, Oregon.

Greg W. Burch, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Chair of the Global Studies department at Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon where he also serves as director for the graduate degree program in Global Development and Justice. Burch earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to his current role, he lived and worked in Caracas, Venezuela and San José, Costa Rica where he served in advocacy and teaching roles in support of vulnerable children and youth. His work and research focus on transformational development topics and supporting marginalized youth and children. He and his wife Christina have two children and live in Oregon City, Oregon.

Adriana Cisneros Emerson (‘23), from Venezuela, is an Integrated Media Management senior from LeTourneau University. She received her associate degree in Journalism from Kilgore College with presidential honors. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Adriana is projected to graduate from LeTourneau University with highest honors and to receive the Top Student in Communication award.

Research focus: Adriana will research resources for victims of human trafficking and programs that can be put in place to prevent retrafficking in East Texas.

Dr. M. Isabella Cavalcanti Junqueira is a professor of entrepreneurship and marketing at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, USA. Her recent research focuses on relationships and knowledge exchanges at the intersection of corporate and society’s interests arising from entrepreneurship and organizational fields, including strategic management, trust, and decision-making. Dr. Cavalcanti Junqueira received her Ph.D. from Lancaster University Management School in the United Kingdom and her Master in International Business Development from Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France. She is an active member and sits on executive boards for organizations in the creative and cultural industries. Dr. Cavalcanti Junqueira often volunteers for fundraising endeavors that support Christian organizations focusing on international outreach in entrepreneurial communities.

Emily Steen (‘23) is a senior at Calvin University pursuing a degree in Sociology with minors in urban studies and criminology. Emily is the founder and president of the Calvin Peacemakers, a restorative justice club that has worked with state legislation and the Michigan Department of Corrections in partnership with the Calvin Prison Initiative. She is also a research assistant for the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics, a student in the Honors Scholars Program, and a board member of the Calvin Theatre Company. She is passionate about the intersection of social justice, the arts, and faith, specifically in serving those who have been impacted by the carceral system.

Research focus: Emily will research resources and barriers for returning citizens seeking higher education.

Mark Mulder, Ph.D. is Professor of Sociology at Calvin University where he teaches classes that range from Diversity and Inequality to Urban Sociology to Corrections and Incarceration. Mulder’s scholarship focuses around urban congregations and changing racial-ethnic demographics. He is the author of Shades of White Flight: Evangelical Congregations and Urban Departure (Rutgers University Press, 2015) and co-author of Latino Protestants in America: Growing and Diverse (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and The Glass Church: Robert H. Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Strain of Megachurch Ministry. In addition, Mulder has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, including Social Problems and The Journal of Urban History. He has also published pieces for church audiences and won awards from the Evangelical Press Association and the Associated Church Press for his writing.

The Hatfield Prize is made possible through the generosity of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. We thank them for their support, but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in the reports are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of these foundations.