Dr. Paul Draus, PhD
Faculty Director
Professor of Sociology; Director, Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Paul Draus is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he has taught since 2005. He has held leadership roles within the university, including director of Graduate Studies in Criminology and Criminal Justice and director of the Master of Public Administration program and of the Master of Public Policy program. Draus was a UM-Dearborn’s Provost Faculty Fellow in 2019-2020, and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Lithuania in 2023. Long active in community-based teaching and research in metropolitan Detroit, he received the Michigan Campus Compact Community Service-Learning Award in 2014. Dr. Draus holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Loyola University in Chicago, as well as a Master’s in American Studies from the University of Wyoming. His doctoral research examined the social context of tuberculosis in urban environments during the 1990s.
Feodies Shipp III
Associate Director
Feodies Shipp III
Feodies Shipp III started his career in higher education with the U-M Career Center in 1995. From 1996 to 2010, he worked in the university’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions first as an admissions counselor and then as assistant director. In 2010, Shipp was named associate director of the U-M Detroit Center. Through this position, he was able to combine two of his greatest passions — the University of Michigan and the city of Detroit.
Born and raised in Detroit, Shipp is excited by the city’s rebirth and believes the university can be a significant contributor to that experience. He earned his B.A. in History from U-M and his M.A. in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
Dr. Lynita Taylor, EdD
Dr. Lynita Taylor, EdD
Senior Project Manager
Dr. Lynita Taylor recently joined UM as a Senior Project Manager at the Detroit Center, where she is excited to build partnerships within the community and connect UM faculty, staff and students with partners and opportunities in Detroit. Lynita holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from Wayne State University as well as a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Detroit Mercy. Prior to joining the Detroit Center, she was a Program Manager in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Samsara, a connected operations tech company based in California.
She has also served as the Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager at Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business, where she worked to develop programming and scholarship opportunities for underrepresented minority students. In her free time, Lynita enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and exploring the ever growing food scene in Detroit.
Ronotta Holliday
Administrative Assistant Senior
Ronotta Holliday
Ronotta Holliday, early in her career, accepted a position in the early 2000s as the director of the Pinelake Co-Opportunity Center which is focused on providing aid and serving young women in a low-income neighborhood. Next, she became a senior clerk and an administrative assistant with the University of Michigan in Dining. She led projects like rebranding the Java Blu café and earned several awards for leadership and innovation similar to this. Now, Ronotta is the senior administrative assistant for the UMDC and WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).
Ronotta earned her Associate’s degree from Washtenaw Community College and transferred to the University of Michigan–Dearborn to earn her B.A. in psychology with a minor in marketing. She is now pursuing her Master’s degree in marketing at the University of Michigan—Dearborn. Her ultimate goal for her career is to found and lead her own business and/or non-profit.
James Neely
Facilities Coordinator
James Neely
A native Detroiter with over 30 years of Management and Higher Education experience. Previously held positions as Director of Recruitment and Enrollment Manager (Ecumenical Theological Seminary), Academic Outreach Coordinator (Michigan State University), Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Recruitment (University of Detroit-Mercy), and Senior Admissions Counselor (University of Michigan, AA). He is a graduate of Sacred Heart Major Seminary (B.A./English) and Marygrove College (M.Ed./Educational Administration).
Shaylynn Jones
Front Desk Coordinator
Shaylynn Jones
Shaylynn Jones earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan and started her career in Education with Teach for America as a 2020 Dallas Corp Member. From 2020 to 2022, she worked as a 6th grade Math teacher with KIPP Texas Public Schools. After her two-year contract, she decided to travel across America for a gap year. After her travels, she returned to her alma mater in 2023 and accepted a position with the University of Michigan Detroit Center as their Front Desk Coordinator.
As an alum of the Rhonda Walker Foundation, Jones is inspired to see change and revitalization in the Detroit area, especially involving the youth, and has the belief that the University is able to influence this.
