Meet the Team

Dr. Tana J. Hicks serves as the Senior Director of the Labor Market Intelligence Center at Dallas College. She joined the team in Spring 2018 to serve the local community and Dallas College students. Dr. Hicks leads the team under the mission of addressing socioeconomic barriers that revolve around the academic experience. She completed her dissertation in 2017. Dr. Hicks has worked in the education sector for over 15 years as an instructor, professor, and researcher.

Tana earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in African American Literature at the University of North Texas and holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and a Master of Arts degree in English from Texas Tech University.

Camille Gilchriest is the Director of GIS and Data Visualization for the Dallas College Labor Market Intelligence Center. She produces analyses to reveal patterns in the spatial distribution of labor, income, and wealth in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region. She believes that geospatial data analysis can be a powerful tool in the hands of students, workers, and communities as they mobilize to build a more just and equitable society.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Chicago. She has worked with the LMIC since July 2019.

Jema Lomas serves as the Director, Schools of Instruction at the Labor Market Intelligence Center at Dallas College. She joined the team in May 2023 and has served Dallas College in a number of capacities for the past 17 years: Academic Advising, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Admissions, the Rising Star/Dallas Promise program, and Strategic Research and Analytics (SRA). She has extensive data experience from her most recent role with SRA, creating and reviewing data sets and reports on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). In her new role, she will continue to impact Dallas College students and the community.

Mrs. Lomas is an Alumni of Dallas College, where she earned multiple degrees: Associate of Science, Applied Associate of Science – Paralegal, and a Certificate in Forensics. She is completing a Management-Supervisor Certificate as part of cohort 6 of the Dallas College Fast Track Supervisor Program. She is also an Alumna of the Rising Star Program.

Jema holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Sociology and Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas, and she earned her Master of Science degree in Higher Education – with an emphasis in Administration from Texas A&M University–Commerce.

Rogers Oliveira serves as the Director, Future of Work in the Labor Market Intelligence Center at Dallas College. He joined the team in the summer of 2021, after six years holding various positions in the college’s Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics departments. He brings the skills of a researcher, the curiosity of a journalist, the creativity of a marketer, and the passion of a futurist to his unique role in the Economic Opportunity division of Workforce and Advancement.

Rogers earned an Associate of Arts degree from Spokane Falls Community College in Washington, igniting his passion for learning and education. He later completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at Eastern Washington University. Although not a native Texan, he got here as soon as he could. After spending some time working in both real estate and investment banking, he joined Dallas College in 2015, and plans to continue his work in the field of education for many years to come.

Rogers is also a husband, father, and unabashed nerd. When not working to elevate the students and employees of Dallas College, you can find him playing video games with his daughter, binging TV shows with his wife, or tinkering with technology.

Stephanie Finau serves as the Director, Program Alignment in the Labor market Intelligence Center at Dallas College. She assumed this role in September 2023, following seven years of working within postsecondary education as a literacy instructor, researcher, and success coach.

Stephanie embarked on her educational journey at the University of South Dakota, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree with a specialization in Communication Disorders. During her final year of undergraduate studies, she participated in a National Student Exchange program, affording her the opportunity to spend a semester at Texas State University. This experience served as the catalyst for her return to Texas State University, where she subsequently earned her Master's degree. Upon her return, Stephanie discovered her passion for educational research, particularly in the field of postsecondary education. She re-enrolled at Texas State University in the Fall of 2016, ultimately obtaining her Master's degree in Developmental Education, specializing in Literacy. Her dedication to advancing her knowledge has continued, as she is set to achieve her Ph.D. in Developmental Education, specializing in Literacy, in December 2023.

In addition, Stephanie is a loving mother to one son and anticipates welcoming a second in January 2024. Stephanie's personal life also includes her loving husband, whom she met during her studies at Texas State University, and they have been happily married since 2020.

Ammar Nanjiani is the Assistant Director of GIS and Data Visualization for the Dallas College Labor Market Intelligence Center. He leverages his Python skills to conduct analyses of socioeconomic trends in the DFW area. Ammar earned his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas in December 2020, and worked as a Data Analyst at T-Mobile before joining the team in July of 2023.

Outside of work, Ammar is an avid reader, an enjoyer of tabletop games, and a committed activist.

Khanya Manthata obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Houston in 2020. He has a passion for economic development and building econometric models. Khanya began his career at Dallas College in 2021 as an Economic Analyst in the Future of work subdivision of the Labor Market Intelligence Center (LMIC).

Khanya spends his time collaborating with coworkers to analyze trends in the labor market that concern the future of work for employees and employers. He has a desire to create the world he wants to see by providing meaningful analysis that will yield an equitable future for the students at Dallas College. He uses various technologies to produce this analysis and is competent in Stata and SQL and is learning new techniques in Python. Khanya is originally from South Africa where most of his family still resides. This is where his passion for equity and economic expansion first took off and he credits his grandfather for stirring this passion in him.

For fun Khanya enjoys playing soccer basketball and supports Liverpool and the Houston Rockets sport franchises.

Janet Oloyede currently serves as the ‘Schools of’ - Analyst of the Labor Market Intelligence Center at Dallas College. She joined the team in 2021 where she supports the development of initiatives that encourages educational and labor market pathways for student success. Through her work, she fosters data analytical and program alignment skills to enhance equitable outcomes and address economic barriers that students often face.

Janet earned her Master of Public Administration and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology both from the University of North Texas – Denton. After graduating with her bachelor’s, Janet began her professional career in the legal field as a legal assistant eventually working her way up into a paralegal role. Because of her extensive background in law, she gained the knowledge and understanding of the importance of advocacy and policy objectives. She is passionate about increasing fair opportunities that advances value and worth for underrepresented communities.

Janet is an avid runner, enjoys a good read, and loves a good binge-able TV show. She is also looking forward to becoming a world traveler, post-pandemic era.