WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Student Diversity Ambassadors

Adekunle Ajiboye is an Animal and Nutritional Science major. He currently serves as the president of the Animal and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Student Association. His decision to become a Diversity Ambassador at WVU stems from his strong belief in equal rights and the creation of a safe environment for everyone, irrespective of their background. Adekunle aspires to contribute as a change agent at WVU, actively working to combat discrimination and intimidation. He has a dream of providing scholarships to individuals who are passionate about pursuing education but lack the necessary resources.

Job Titles:

• Director of Diversity Initiatives and Community Engagement

Dr. Angela Cartwright brings her expertise in multicultural and equity issues in education and experience as a leader in higher education to the role of Director of Diversity Initiatives and Community Engagement. She is a career educator with international experience that ranges from elementary students to university graduate students. Her first classroom was with AmeriCorps Energy Express in Flemington, WV. She later worked in a high school Social Studies department where she specialized in working with at-risk students and earned the OEA Grassroots Activist Educator of the Year Award. Upon completion of her PhD in Multicultural and Equity Studies, she joined higher education, earning tenure and Associate rank before moving to a Vice Provost role in London, England.

Job Titles:

• Student Worker
• Worker for the Division

Annabella Davis is currently serving as a Student Worker for The Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as she pursues her Bachelor Degree in Political Science and International Studies. She brings her experience to the position from her previous work in Norborne Preschool and Daycare Center.

Job Titles:

• Special Events Coordinator
• Special Events Coordinator for the Division

Anne Kerns serves as the Special Events Coordinator for the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a graduate of American Military University with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Anne brings her experience as a photographer, graphic designer, business owner, and previous work in graduate education to her position at West Virginia University.

Job Titles:

• Outreach Coordinator
• Outreach Coordinator for the Division

Caitlin Fulp is the Diversity Outreach Coordinator for the Division. She is a graduate of West Virginia University where she received a degree in Political Science in 2021 and a master's in public administration in 2023. Prior to joining the Division in her current role, Caitlin served as the graduate assistant to Vice President Poore and as a community organizer in various capacities. Her community organizing experience deepened her desire to serve the greater Morgantown area, her home state, and her alma mater. Caitlin oversees the Diversity Ambassadors and the Chancellor's Scholar program.

Job Titles:

• Anonymous Employee
• Assistant Director for Prevention, Education and Youth Protection
• Assistant Director of Prevention

Cortney Simmons serves as the Assistant Director of Prevention, Education and Youth Protection for the Office of Equity Assurance within the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She works closely with units across the WVU system including WVU Potomac State and the WVU Institute of Technology, implementing the WVU Board of Governors Rule 1.6. Cortney is responsible for training, coordinating, and facilitating prevention education for students on topics such as healthy relationships, sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, stalking, bystander intervention and/or response efforts on campus with an intersectional lens. In addition, Cortney oversees BOG Board of Governance Rule 1.7-Rule on Child Protection where youth are invited to participate in academic, athletic and enrichment programs on campus and across West Virginia. Youth Protection exists to provide guidelines and best practices to program administrators that promote the safety of youth engaged in WVU Youth programs, activities, events and research. Cortney serves as an Anonymous Employee to faculty, staff, and students who have been involved in Title IX related issues who want to further discuss options for reporting and/or gathering resources. Prior to joining WVU, Cortney was the Victim Specialist for the West Virginia State Police Crimes Against Children Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Cortney worked throughout West Virginia providing direct services and assistance to victims, families, and other agencies affiliated to the West Virginia ICAC Task Force. Cortney designed and implemented an Employee Support Program to safeguard members of the unit who are exposed to child sexual exploitation materials in addition to other violent crimes against children. Cortney was a ChildFirst Forensic Interviewer and managed the West Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse.

Job Titles:

• Prevention Education Specialist

Deborah Blakney serves as our Prevention Education Specialist responsible for assisting the Assistant Director in the development and implementation of theory-driven, evidence-based prevention and awareness programs, coordinating and managing prevention programs for our campus community and support groups, in addition to working closely with Athletics, Greek Life, and supervising the delivery of sexual assault prevention, sexual health, and alcohol education programs. She earned her Master's of Science in Education, from the University of New Haven, CT and a Bachelor's of Arts in Public Policy & Government, from Eastern Connecticut State University. Prior to joining the Division, she taught in public and private schools and is a retired Associate Warden where she served over 22 years in federal law enforcement. Deborah is also a proud United States Army veteran.

Job Titles:

• Special Assistant to the Vice President

Hunter Bohon is one of our graduate assistants. He is the special assistant to the Vice President for the division. He is a graduate from Roanoke College where he received his bachelors in Public Health and Spanish. Currently, he is pursuing his Masters in Public Health at the University.

Job Titles:

• Director of Equity Assurance / Title IX Coordinator

James Goins currently serves as the Director of Equity Assurance and the Title IX Coordinator in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. James provides senior-level leadership pertaining to all issues of civil rights and is responsible for the oversight of institutional equity compliance, including Title IX and ADA/Section 504 compliance, as well as relationship violence and sexual misconduct prevention, outreach, and education for the University and its regional campuses.

Job Titles:

• Case Manager

Kayla is a Case Manager for the Office of Equity Assurance. She is responsible for triaging complaints as they come into the office and providing resources and supportive measures to those who require assistance. She earned her Master of Legal Studies degree from West Virginia University in 2017.

Job Titles:

• Student Intern

Lauren Florio currently serves as the Student Intern for West Virginia University's Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion under Jill Hess, ADA Coordinator. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Science from WVU in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Public Administration and Social Work.

Job Titles:

• Case Manager

Madisyn is a Case Manager for the Office of Equity Assurance. She is responsible for triaging complaints as they come into the office and providing resources and supportive measures to those who require assistance. She earned her Master's in Public Administration from West Virginia University in 2021. Prior to joining the division, Madisyn served as a victim advocate for the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center where she provided support and advocacy to community members in the greater Morgantown area.

Job Titles:

• Prevention Education Specialist

Maggie von Dolteren serves as a Prevention Education Specialist, providing education, training, and technical assistance designed to prevent interpersonal violence before it occurs and minimize the harm people experience. Maggie also works with the Peer Advocate program, empowering students to respond to violence and oppression while supporting their peers. Prior to joining the team, Maggie was a certified Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate at the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, specializing in supporting survivors of domestic violence engaged with the child welfare system, training child protection workers on the impacts and dynamics of domestic violence, and facilitating coordinated community responses to violence.

Job Titles:

• Assistant
• Senior Executive
• Senior Executive Assistant for the Vice President

Megan Chambers serves as the Senior Executive Assistant for the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Megan is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies. Prior to her current role, Megan worked as an Administrative Specialist for the WVU Cancer Institute where she assisted the Chief of Advanced Practice Professionals and the Associate Director of Administration.

Job Titles:

• Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Meshea L. Poore, Esq., a long-time champion of underrepresented people, serves as vice president and chief diversity officer for the West Virginia University Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In that role, she motivates the Mountaineer family to recognize the value in diversity and challenges all who interact with her to create transformational change. Poore has been helping light the way toward equity throughout her career. An attorney who served in the WV House of Delegates from 2009-2014, she is an accomplished and sought-after motivational speaker, public and political leadership consultant and strategist. The Women's Campaign Fund named her a "Game Changer" during her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives for WV's 2nd Congressional District. She has mentored and consulted with hundreds of elected officials throughout the nation as they seek higher office. Poore is also an experienced educator who served as an adjunct professor at WV State University, as a faculty member in residence at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University and has teaching privileges at WVU College of Law. In 2017, Poore became the first African-American woman named president of the West Virginia State Bar since its 1947 founding. Prior to operating her own practice, she was an attorney in the Office of the Kanawha County Public Defender in Charleston, WV. She is an alumna of the prestigious German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, a member of the executive committee for the Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and is President of the Big 12 Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Poore earned her bachelor's degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She also graduated from the Women's Campaign School at Yale University and is a 2023 graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Chapter. Poore has facilitated insightful conversations with leading voices in social justice work, including Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award Winner and author of How to Be an Antiracist; Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and creator of the landmark 1619 Project; and W. Kamau Bell, sociopolitical comedian and host of the Emmy Award winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America.

Job Titles:

• Assistant
• Prevention Education Graduate Assistant

Paulina Serwaa Gyamfi serves as a Prevention Graduate Assistant at the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, working under the supervision of Cortney Simmons. Paulina is a dedicated student at WVU, where she is pursuing her Masters degree in Journalism. Hailing from Ghana, Paulina brings a unique international perspective to the team. In addition to her academic pursuits, she is a passionate advocate for raising awareness about issues related to discrimination and abuse. Her commitment to education and social justice is an inspiration to all who know her.

Job Titles:

• Assistant at the Division
• Graduate Assistant

Presley Caplinger serves as a graduate service assistant at the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, while being a second-year Doctor of Audiology student. Presley graduated in December 2022 from West Virginia University with her Bachelor's of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is from Clarksburg, West Virginia, and plans to gain further experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion so that she can apply it to the field of audiology in the future.