Membership of President's Inclusion and Diversity Executive Council announced
As part of Virginia Tech's ongoing effort to reorganize and revitalize its diversity and inclusion efforts, the following faculty and staff will serve on the newly formed President's Inclusion and Diversity Executive Council:
- Timothy Sands (chair), president
- Dick Benson, dean, College of Engineering
- Karen DePauw, vice president and dean for graduate education
- Jack Finney, vice provost for faculty affairs
- Guru Ghosh, vice president for outreach and international affairs
- Rachel Holloway, vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs
- Hal Irvin, associate vice president for human resources
- Mark McNamee, senior vice president and provost
- Patty Perillo, vice president of student affairs
- Karen Eley Sanders, associate vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs and chief diversity officer at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
- Dwight Shelton, vice president of finance and chief financial officer
- Elizabeth Spiller, dean, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
- David Travis, interim vice provost for diversity and inclusion
- Sherwood Wilson, vice president for administration
Six inclusion coordinators will also serve on the council to advocate for inclusion and diversity within their areas, serve as university resources, and will assess and recommend policy, evaluate progress, identify opportunities, and address areas of concern. They are:
- Lori Baker-Lloyd, executive director, University Organizational and Professional Development (Human Resources)
- Danette Gomez Beane, director, Office of Graduate Recruiting and Diversity Initiatives (Graduate School)
- Maria Elisa Christie, director, women and gender in international development (Outreach and International Affairs)
- Juan Espinoza, associate director for undergraduate admissions (Undergraduate Education)
- Ellen Plummer, assistant provost for faculty affairs (Office of the Provost)
- Tricia Smith, director of multicultural programs and services (Division of Student Affairs)
The formation of the President's Inclusion and Diversity Executive Council is part of the new organizational structure recommended by the Task Force on Inclusive Excellence convened last fall by former President Charles W. Steger. The council will support the university’s vision and framework for inclusion and diversity and will oversee accountability for achieving the strategic goals.
The council will meet later this month to discuss the feedback received at the Sept. 29 campus forum held at The Inn at Virginia Tech. More than 500 employees participated in the round-table discussions, with about 100 individuals participating via WebEx from extended campus locations.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
