INSIGHT INTO DIVERSITY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Creative Director
• Production Manager

Job Titles:

• Director of Research
• Senior Project Manager

Dr. Gretchel Hathaway began her work as Franklin & Marshall's first vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion Aug. 20. Reporting to President Barbara Altmann, she provides vision, leadership and guidance on a full spectrum of diversity, equity and inclusion matters, working collaboratively with the F&M community to build a more inclusive environment. She previously was dean of diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Union College, where she led strategic plan diversity initiatives with its board of trustees, faculty and administrators. She worked at Union for 22 years, where she also served on the review board of all faculty tenure and promotion cases. She also supervised Union's Office of Intercultural Affairs and had served as Union's director of community outreach and Americans With Disabilities Act compliance officer. In addition to her senior administrator duties at Union, Gretchel had taught in the Department of Sociology. Her research interests include diversity and inclusivity in higher education, child physical and sexual abuse, and marital rape and spousal abuse. Before her arrival in Schenectady, she spent nine years as the director of the personal counseling center at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She has presented programs on diversity, multicultural topics and Title IX programs at other institutions of higher education, including Swarthmore College, Colgate University and Skidmore College. Gretchel is the parent of Stephen Tyson, a 2007 F&M graduate and one of the founding members of I.M.P.A.C.T., and Rachel Tyson. Gretchel earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Manhattanville College and her master's degree in the same field from Yeshiva University. She holds a doctoral degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh.

Job Titles:

• Coach
• Author of Diversity, Equi

Elissa Buxbaum is the author of diversity, equity and inclusion resources and programs utilized by 100+ colleges and universities. Buxbaum spent the past 15 years developing and implementing diversity training curriculum and campus climate policy in student affairs, academic affairs and other university operations/employee support services. Starting her higher ed career as Associate Director for the Greenfield Intercultural Center at the University of Pennsylvania and having worked under a newly established chief diversity officer at Colorado State University, Buxbaum has infused inclusion initiatives into academic departments, student success initiatives, hiring practices, faculty support centers and facilities management protocols. Elissa has published in the Journal of Career Planning and Adult Development, been quoted in news outlets from New York to Norway and been invited to speak at conferences such as South by Southwest (SXSW), the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). Buxbaum received a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in Psychology and Linguistics and two master's degrees; one in Intercultural Communication from the University of Pennsylvania and the second in Education and Human Resource Studies from Colorado State University. She is delighted to now join the Editorial Board for INSIGHT Into Diversity. Currently, as National Director for ADL's college and university division, Elissa manages a team across 7 agency divisions and 25 satellite offices. She designs holistic solutions to bias and hate through educational programs and legislative advocacy. Most notably, she is the author of the Hate/Uncycled model, has submitted congressional testimony on campus free speech and collaborates with Cleary, the FBI and the U.S. Government Accountability Office for hate crimes/bias incident reporting standard practices. Elissa also serves as a coach and creative collaborator for social justice initiatives in New York City dance and theatre companies. In her spare time, she is happiest when tap dancing and trading 4s with other jazz musicians.

Job Titles:

• Senior Staff Writer

Erika Henderson, EdD, has more than twenty-five years of experience leading organizational efforts to recruit, develop, and retain the best and brightest talent in the higher education and federal government sectors. She serves as associate provost for faculty recruitment, retention, equity, and diversity for the University of Houston. Dr. Henderson previously served as senior policy advisor to the U.S. Department of Labor's Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration. In that role, she advised senior Department officials on key workforce development programs that expanded employment and career opportunities for persons that are long-term unemployed, youth, or veterans through education and training. In addition, she served as the Assistant Secretary's principle surrogate on multi-agency federal task forces regarding community based investments, apprenticeship, cyber security, and national disaster responses. Prior to joining the Department of Labor, Dr. Henderson was the Deputy Director for the nonpartisan White House Fellows program, the nation's premier fellowship for public service and leadership. At the Fellows program, she advocated for and succeeded in implementing improvements to the applicant process, including the development of a web-based tracking system. In addition, Dr. Henderson managed the day-to-day operations of the program, including personnel and budgetary processes; and oversaw the program's outreach, recruitment, selection, and candidate placement. Dr. Henderson has also held leadership positions in higher education including director of graduate and pre-college programs, membership manager and consultant. She has extensive experience in program administration, leadership development, strategic planning, and the delivery of effective organizational recruitment campaigns. She holds a Doctorate in Higher Education from George Washington University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master of Arts in Counseling, both from Hampton University.

Job Titles:

• Publisher - Click to View Bio

Karen A. Clinton Jones, PhD, serves as Binghamton University's inaugural Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In this role, Jones leads and coordinates the university's strategic approach to diversity in all aspects of workforce development, campus life, focusing specifically on education and employment, equity, affirmative action, cultural understanding, cultural competency, community outreach, and civil and human rights. Prior to joining the Binghamton community, Jones served as chief diversity officer for Buffalo State College. She also previously served as the executive director for equity and access at Virginia Tech, ensuring compliance with federal, state, local, and university regulations relating to all aspects of the employment process. To this end, she was responsible for the development, implementation, and leading of the institution's equal opportunity/affirmative action programs, compliance and hiring initiatives. Karen's professional experience also includes her serving as the director of corporate diversity at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (Lifetime Health Care Companies) in Rochester, New York, where she directed the corporate and the five region-wide diversity related initiatives. She served as director of the CONNECT Program at St. John Fisher College in Rochester. Other positions include serving as the cultural relations specialist at Global Crossing North America, and a variety of other leadership roles while employed with SUNY College at Brockport. During her tenure in Buffalo she served as a board member of Read to Succeed Buffalo, the Erie County Arts & Cultural Advisory Board, and the New York State Council on the Arts, Special Arts Services panel. As a former member of the Rochester community, Jones served on several not-for-profit boards and community-based committees. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Jones holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy, with a concentration in higher education, from the University at Buffalo. Her dissertation focused on Black males and persistence to degree completion. She earned an M.S.Ed. in counselor education from SUNY College at Brockport, and a B.S. in criminal justice from Buffalo State (SUNY).

Kenneth J. Barrett, U.S. Navy (Ret.), is General Motors' first Chief Diversity Officer. Barrett has 14 years of executive experience, including five years of award-winning performance as the U.S. Navy's Diversity Director. Before joining GM, he served as the Under Secretary of Defense's Acting Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, Barrett had five years of award-winning performance as the U.S. Navy's Diversity Director, where he achieved historic levels of minority and female officer additions and transformational work-life balance initiatives. In 1984, Barrett began his career with the U.S. Navy. After commissioning through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, he held positions in engineering and operations. A Worcester, Mass. native, Barrett holds a bachelor's in political science from the College of the Holy Cross, a master's in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College and an executive master's in business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School. He completed the Federal Executive Senior Fellow Program at Harvard University and is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College. Under Barrett's leadership, the Navy's Strategic Diversity Working Group was selected as the nation's No. 1 Diversity Council by the Association of Diversity Councils. The Navy also was selected as the Top Federal Agency for diversity and inclusion by another diversity publication. For his efforts as lead of the Navy's Task Force/Life Work, Barrett and his team were recognized with the Ted Childs Work Life Excellence Award. Other personal awards include: the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two stars), Navy Commendation Medal (three stars) and the Navy Achievement Medal, as well as many other unit and campaign awards.

Job Titles:

• Publisher - Click to View Bio

Job Titles:

• President and CEO of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics

Linda Akutagawa is President and CEO of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) where she is responsible for LEAP's strategic direction, sustainability, relationships and collaborations. A beneficiary of LEAP's leadership programming and a passionate social entrepreneur for over 20 years, Ms. Akutagawa has dedicated herself to continuing the cycle of leadership development and inspiring Asian and Pacific Islanders to aspire to leadership roles in all sectors of society. She is Vice Chair and an appointed member of the California Department of Insurance (CDI) Diversity Task Force. Additionally, she is a member of the Southern California Edison Consumer Advisory Panel, a member of the Asian/Asian American Institute Advisory Board at California State University at Los Angeles, and a Board member of Japanese American Community Services (JACS), a community grantmaking organization. Linda received her B.S. in International Business with a minor in Economics from California State University at Los Angeles.

Job Titles:

• Digital Content Editor

Job Titles:

• Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Penn State Health in Hershey

Lynette Chappell Williams, JD, is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Penn State Health in Hershey, PA, where she has responsibility for advancing the organization's diversity and inclusion strategy. Since being with Penn State, a 15,000 employee health system and medical educator, she has co-led implementation of a written patient bias policy to reduce provider experiences of bias, co-led establishment of the "Rooney Rule" to increase senior leadership gender and race/ethnic diverse representation, established diversity pipeline partnerships with HBCU schools, and established the framework for Penn State Health and the medical college to be recognized as a best employer for diversity by Forbes, Military Times, Human Rights Campaign, and INSIGHT Into Diversity. Prior to Penn State Health, Lynette served as the Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Workforce Diversity at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY where she was responsible for implementing staff diversity initiatives, overseeing the Title IX program, and leading the affirmative action program. While at Cornell, Lynette developed programs resulting in organizational recognition as a best employer for work/life by Working Mother Media, best employer for employees over 50 by AARP, adoption friendly employer by David Thomas Foundation, and Exemplary Voluntary Effort employer by Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Lynette has been nationally recognized for her work in diversity, inclusion and work/life, including an HR Rising Star/Diversity Champion by HR Executive Magazine in 2006, the Legacy Award from Families and Work Institute in 2011, and Women Worth Watching by Diversity Journal in 2013. Lynette received her JD from The Ohio State University and a BS. in Psychology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where she was a charter member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and a member of the honors program. Lynette, originally from Newport News, VA, is a resident of the Harrisburg PA area and has one daughter who is an alum of George Mason University and a graduate of Penn State University's criminal justice master's program.

Job Titles:

• Managing Editor

Job Titles:

• Senior Staff Writer

Job Titles:

• McCormick & Company, Inc. As Global Head of Diversity

Nereida (Neddy) Perez joined McCormick & Company, Inc. as global head of diversity in 2019. In that capacity she is responsible for developing and executing the company's global diversity and inclusion strategy as well as working with Talent Management and Human Resources to imbedded business strategies that lead to a more inclusive and innovative culture where people can thrive. Prior to TIAA she led Employment Brand, Early Talent & Diversity Recruiting at TIAA, in that capacity she revamped the company's external recruiting brand and instituted new hiring practices to attract diverse talent. Neddy's background includes more than 20 years of experience in Human Resources, Diversity Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and STEM workforce pipeline development. She has served as Chief Diversity Officer at Ingersoll Rand, National Grid, and KPMG. She has worked in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Neddy has developed a number of award winning and internationally recognized diversity programs focusing on women and the science, technology, engineering and math space. While at Ingersoll Rand she developed a women's leadership program that generated more than $27 million dollars in revenue and savings in under three years. The program was so successful that she was invited to serve on the board of trustee of the National Association of Manufactures' Institute and there she helped to build the leadership model for their women's program. At KPMG she worked on strategies to increase the diversity hiring mix and improve the Partner Pipeline. She also established the company's supplier diversity initiative saving the company several millions in government contracts. At National Grid she worked with the corporate foundation to create and launch STEMConnector.org, which is a central clearinghouse of information on STEM Corporate/Government/Education Initiatives. She also built the company's supplier diversity program and created the New York Energy Supplier Diversity Conference and relaunched the National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC) a nonprofit focused on workforce and supplier diversity Born in Havana, Cuba she realized at an early age the power of education as a way to break through the glass ceiling and overcome prejudice. As a result, she has worked with a variety of non-profit organizations to support education and leadership development initiatives that empower people and remove organizational career barriers. Aside from serving on the board of several nonprofits she has also partnered with companies to look at their talent pipeline needs and share best practices on building STEM strategies. She has been a speaker on the topic of STEM and workforce diversity at a number of national conferences and events. Neddy has served on a variety of national and international nonprofit and foundation boards including the Society of Human Resources Management Foundation Board, National Association of Manufacturing Institute, Ingersoll Rand's Foundation Board, National Hispanic MBAs Association, Howard University's Center for Accounting Excellence and Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities and board of Central Piedmont Community College. She currently serves Asia Society Talent Advisory Council, Diversity MBA, Diversity in Higher Education boards and is a Program Advisor to Elevate. She has been an advisory to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Army on diversity initiatives.

Job Titles:

• Professor under Review After Making Disparaging Remarks about Asian

Job Titles:

• Executive Director of the American Association for Access Equity and Diversity
• Founding Member of the National ( Political ) Congress of Black Women

Shirley J. Wilcher, JD, is a leading authority on equal opportunity and diversity policy. Ms. Wilcher is currently Executive Director of the American Association for Access Equity and Diversity (AAAED). She is also President of Wilcher Global, LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in diversity management, affirmative action, contract compliance, and government relations. In 2001-2003, she also served as executive director of Americans for a Fair Chance, a consortium of six civil rights legal organizations formed to serve as an educational resource on affirmative action. In April 2004, the American Association for Affirmative Action gave Ms. Wilcher its "Rosa Parks" Award for her efforts to advance the cause of equal opportunity through affirmative action. During the Clinton Administration, Ms. Wilcher served a seven-year term as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), in the Employment Standards Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. At OFCCP, she was the chief executive of an agency that enforces President Lyndon Johnson's Executive Order 11246, which requires companies doing business with the Federal government to agree under contract not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, color, or religion. In addition, contractors must agree to use affirmative action. The OFCCP also enforces laws requiring nondiscrimination and affirmative action for persons with disabilities and veterans. At OFCCP, Ms. Wilcher led the team that reinvented, revitalized and managed the agency by focusing on eliminating systemic discrimination, breaking the glass ceiling, promoting equal pay, and successfully completing the most significant revision of the agency's regulations in 20 years. Under her office's "Three-Pronged Fair Enforcement Strategy," the program obtained millions of dollars in financial remedies for women, minorities, persons with disabilities and veterans, while celebrating the exemplary efforts of outstanding corporations and nonprofit organizations. Wilcher extended the program's reach beyond the nation's borders and worked with governments and organizations seeking to promote diversity in Europe, Asia, Mexico, Canada and South Africa, where she and her staff served in a consultative role with the South African Department of Labor. In July 2000, Ms. Wilcher received the NAACP's prestigious Benjamin L. Hooks "Keeper of the Flame Award." In the fall of 2001, Wilcher also served as Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at the Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, D.C. Her more than twenty years of experience include service as civil rights counsel with the Education and Labor Committee, US House of Representatives; as Director for State Relations and General Counsel with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and as a staff attorney with the National Women's Law Center. Ms. Wilcher is an honors graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts; holds a Master of Arts Degree from the New School for Social Research in New York, NY; a Juris Doctor from the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and a Certificate of French Language from the University of Paris, Paris, France. She also holds a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution in Maryland, and a certificate in Labor Arbitration from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Washington, DC. Ms. Wilcher has spoken in many venues about civil rights and affirmative action. She has also testified before both House and Senate committees of the United States Congress. Wilcher has written on affirmative action and other issues related to equal opportunity. Her commentary has appeared in the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, USA Today, the Washington Times, the Boston Globe, Time Magazine and the Houston Chronicle, among many others. She has also appeared on radio and television shows from Alaska to Puerto Rico and internationally. Wilcher has been quoted in many news publications about affirmative action and related issues. She also co-authored a paper on Sex Based Employment Quotas in Sweden, which was published by the Brookings Institution. Wilcher is a founding member of the National (Political) Congress of Black Women and served as its first Recording Secretary.

Sonja Feist-Price, DRh, PhD, was appointed the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs effective August 1, 2020. Dr. Feist-Price earned a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, a D.Rh. from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, her M.S. from Southern University, Baton Rouge, and a B.S. from McNeese State University, Lake Charles. She is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Kentucky, a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Kentucky and a trained mediator. Dr. Feist-Price came to UM-Flint from the University of Kentucky where she served as the Vice President for Institutional Diversity. Her professorial tenure includes roles as a professor in the department of early childhood, special education, and counselor education at the University of Kentucky, and a visiting professor at the University of California San Francisco. Possessing an extensive history with externally-funded research, Dr. Feist-Price has authored numerous scholarly publications and made invited and refereed presentations at international, national, and regional conference venues. She has been the recipient of numerous awards acknowledging significant contributions to academic research and teaching.

Job Titles:

• Government Seeks in - State Tuition Rates for Undocumented Students

Venessa A. Brown, PhD, is the Inaugural Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for Intercollegiate Athletics. She was formally the Associate Chancellor for the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and Chief Diversity Officer. She holds a tenured faculty appointment as professor in the department of social work. She also served as Associate Provost in Academic Affairs and Executive Director of the SIUE East Saint Louis Center (ESLC). Dr. Brown began her academic career in 1993 as an assistant professor of sociology and social work in the Department of Social Sciences at Greenville College (GC). Following in her commitment to accredited social work programs, Dr. Brown accepted a position at SIUE in 1995 as an assistant professor to start the Masters in Social Work (MSW) program. She was tenured and promoted in 2001, full professor in 2006 and department chair from 2006 - 2007. In this role, she contributed to the overall success of the BSW/MSW program being fully accredited. Dr. Brown is a native of Missouri, earned her B.A. in Social Work and Psychology at Greenville College in 1983, MSW from Atlanta University School of Social Work in 1985 and a Ph.D. in Social Work with a Concentration in Statistics and Computer Science from Clark Atlanta University in 1994. After attending her master's program, she worked for the State of Georgia as a child welfare investigator. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. Brown is nationally and internationally known for her commitment to public child welfare. Her expertise is in the area of child sexual abuse and she has also been recognized for teaching and international activities. She has worked with the juvenile court and superior courts on behalf of children. Her past students have become leaders in the region. In addition to publishing articles and book chapters she is the lead author of "A Promising Reality: Race, Culture and Gender in Cuba published by Peter Lang, and "Child Welfare Case Studies" published by Allyn & Bacon now Pearson. Forthcoming project is a textbook, Community-Based Child Welfare Practice with Multicultural Families. Over the years, she has been a principle investigator on state and federally funded grants. Under her leadership as the Executive Director of the SIUE (ESLC) she oversaw grant funded programs totaling approximately $15 million. She also secured a $1million dollar cash gift to the University to open a state of the art STEM Technology Lab for the SIUE Charter High School in East St. Louis, IL. In 2018, she was instrumental in securing an additional $3.7 million dollar cash gift to continue STEM education for the Charter High School. Her current research focus is on mentoring, diversity and inclusion, child welfare history inclusive of people of color and international child welfare.

Job Titles:

• Dean Criticizes Students for Protesting Controversial Campus Speaker