AYCGL Leadership Innovation Lab
The AYCGL Leadership Innovation Lab is dedicated to researching solutions to social challenges affecting underserved communities. Composed of student teams guided by faculty advisors, the lab offers opportunities for students to join existing teams or propose new leadership initiatives. The program follows the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) model—a curricular framework that allows students from freshman to senior year to collaborate on long-term projects aligned with faculty research interests.
Faculty Fellows
Kharine Jean, PhD
This semester, Dr. Jean is working with students in the Leadership Innovation Lab on the BRIDGE Lab Brain Health Equity Toolkit, a student-driven initiative designed to increase brain health awareness and access in underserved communities. The project includes developing a community-centered toolkit and evaluation plan to ensure inclusivity, measure impact, and create a sustainable foundation for future work.
Assistant Professor & Danforth Endowed Chair
Rolanda J.W. Spencer, EdD
This semester, Dr. Spencer is working with students in the Leadership Innovation Lab on the Divine Project. It is a multi-year interdisciplinary research and creative project exploring how African diasporic spiritual traditions shape leadership, healing, and self-determination across global Black communities. Organized as episodic studies, the Spring 2026 phase focuses on Hoodoo, Conjure, and Gullah/Geechee communities along the Georgia coast, where Morehouse students will conduct oral histories, archival research, and fieldwork.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Visual Arts
Chair & Professor, Political Science DepartmentAndrew J. Douglas, PhD
This semester, Dr. Douglas is working with students in the Leadership Innovation Lab on the CREDO currency project, which explores how communities can design and issue local currencies to mobilize labor and support community development initiatives often overlooked by traditional financial systems.