We support INFER through government and philanthropic grant awards that are aligned with the research and service interests of our faculty and community partnerships.
We support INFER through government and philanthropic grant awards that are aligned with the research and service interests of our faculty and community partnerships.
Uniting Research & Practice
for a Better Community
The Innovative Nonprofit and Foundation Engaged Research (INFER), based in Memphis, Tennessee, was founded, in part, as a response to findings from the 2020 State of the Mid-South Nonprofit Sector Report that Memphis and Memphis area nonprofits need assistance with approaching program evaluation in a more holistic way.
​
INFER exists to unite research and practice to improve the communities and assist the citizens served by The University of Memphis. Specifically, INFER seeks to bridge the efforts of researchers (in the areas of social science, life science and the humanities) and nonprofits (with social, human and health services-related missions) to ensure that research efforts are relevant and useful to practitioners and that practice is effective and grounded in “best practice.”
​
INFER Program is an initiative of the Division of Research and Innovation to strengthen research collaborations with foundations and nonprofits.
Our Mission
INFER seeks to partner social, human and health services-related nonprofits with humanities, social sciences and life sciences researchers to improve communities and assist citizens served by The University of Memphis.
Dr. Nichole Saulsberry-Scarboro
Program Director, INFER
Dr. Nichole Saulsberry-Scarboro is the Program Director of INFER. Dr. Saulsberry-Scarboro is a native Memphian who is passionate about moving her community forward. For over 20 years, she has worked as an Administrator successfully developing, implementing and monitoring projects and programs that help people and communities thrive. In addition to her extensive and varied work experiences, Dr. Saulsberry-Scarboro is a formally trained educator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Emory University, a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instructional Leadership from the University of Memphis and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has also been trained in Community Resiliency Model by Trauma Resource Institute, Strategic Frame Analysis by FrameWorks Institute, Transition to Success by Assisi Foundation of Memphis and Using Evidence to Improve Social Program Effectiveness at Harvard Kennedy School. Nichole has been happily married to Dr. Douglas Scarboro for 20 years and they have two young sons, Douglas “Saul” Scarboro and Davis Scarboro.
Advisory Board
Dorian Spears
Chief Partnerships Officer,
Momentum Nonprofit Partners
Dorian Spears is Chief Partnerships Officer at Momentum Nonprofit Partners. In this role, she builds bridges across the sectors of government, business, higher education, and neighborhood leadership in the greater Memphis area to uplift what works while addressing community challenges. She also leads an effort to bring together organizations on the journey of operationalizing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace facilitated by Beloved Community called Equity at Work.
Dorian has a work history as a nonprofit administration and government professional with an expansive range of program development, strategic planning, and implementation skills. Dorian has a passion for serving the community and, with a culturally responsive lens, she employs current knowledge and acumen while making a meaningful impact on organizational mission, vision, and values.
Dorian is a member of Leadership Tennessee NEXT Cohort 2, and an alum of Bridge Alliance Master Mind Cohort. She is currently working on her Certified Nonprofit Professional credential with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.
Diana Bedwell
Director, Community Impact,
United Way of the Mid-South
Diana Bedwell has served in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and public sector as a change agent, thought leader, intermediary, and funder. She has developed, secured funding for, implemented, and evaluated programs, processes, and initiatives in early childhood, youth development, healthy parenting, trauma prevention, HIV/AIDS, and emergency assistance.
Ms. Bedwell’s expertise is gleaned from decades of senior-level engagement with federal, state, charitable, and private foundation funders, and nonprofit entities.
In her current position, Ms. Bedwell is responsible for community partnerships with United Way of the Mid-South.