The constitution of a team of people with complementary capacities to fulfill the mission of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DCI) is taking shape with the addition of several new employees.
Karen Jones, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, says it’s about building on the strengths already in place.
“We know we have a team, but with a limited number of members, we had to find people who have strengths in many areas – those who have experience in facilitating workshops, or the animation of programs or teaching of courses, because we must not only have a macro view, but the micro view.
Building this new team has been an interesting process, Jones said. “There is swelling and then there is growth. Growth is sustainable, and that’s what we rely on: creating sustainable growth with added value. The swelling is like ‘I ate too much and now I’m a little uncomfortable.’
“Growth is organic, natural and it makes sense to think about how individuals have knowledge, perceptions and expertise that complements everyone in the division,” she said. “We think about the needs we have today, but also the needs we will have tomorrow.
Jones focused on the mission of the institution and the division as the division’s reorganization and hiring plan fell into place. “My goal is to get each person to identify how they contribute to the mission of the division,” she said. “Our role is to create a campus community where everyone can feel welcome – faculty, staff and students. We are the heartbeat of the community.
“We have a responsibility to make sure that we forge strategic partnerships, that we reach out, that we build good relationships and that we are a place where faculty, students and staff can feel welcome and where we are can defend, guide, nurture and support them. them; contribute to their professional and academic success, ”she said.
Ada Robinson-Perez has left her position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Binghamton University to join the DCI team as the Affirmative Action Manager. Robinson-Perez “steps up” to assist with the Research Foundation’s research, works on bias complaints and discrimination investigations, and works in conjunction with Human Resources and the Title IX agent.
“I am also delighted to build a bias incident response advisory team with strategic partners,” she said. “And with the pandemic, the Americans with Disabilities Act has been an important topic to deal with effectively so that we make sure all of our employees have what they need to be successful.”
Anne Guanciale takes on the new position of Director of Intercultural Affairs and will oversee both the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) and the University’s Q Center.
“We redesigned the MRC and Q Center areas to create a more synergistic way of allowing them to work together,” Jones said. “Speaking with Kelly Clark (who retired as director of the Q Center earlier this year), I learned that the needs of five years ago are not the needs of today. So we’ll have a deputy director for the MRC and the Q Center who can identify ways in which the two can work together while remaining distinct.
“It’s exciting to work with the Multicultural Resource Center and the Q Center,” Guanciale said. “I always have a sense of what the needs are and I meet a lot of people, I listen to a lot of stories and stories, and I find out what the needs of the students are. I will represent the division, working with campus partners and student cultural organizations. I want to know our stakeholders.
Nicholas “Nick” Martin will serve as Deputy Director, supporting the day-to-day operations and programming of the Q Center. “I will work to bring students, faculty and staff together, and the Q Center should be the hub. I want to continue building strong programs, especially our Active Ally program, and mentoring. I’m hoping to get the Q Center into the classrooms and get our grade so people know we’re here.
Another Nic, but this one Nicole Francisco (known as Dr Nic) is the new coordinator of the Q Center. “The Q Center is more than just a student center, and what is exciting for me, my big goal, is to make the Q Center a direct connection to faculty and staff,” Francisco said. “My background is in teaching and after working in student affairs this programming opened up another avenue for me in teaching. “
And Korin Kirk will serve as the Diversity Education Coordinator, advancing the mission of the UDiversity Educational Institute. “This work is essential to building a thriving community where everyone has access to success and their best quality of life,” said Kirk. “I once heard an educator say, ‘We have to make sure we don’t raise fanatics’ and it really struck me.
“This further reinforced, for me, the need for the UDiversity Educational Institute,” added Kirk. “Binghamton University, as an educational institution, saw the importance of providing opportunities to explore diversity, equity and inclusion in order to create citizens who approach the world we live in, the communities we create and the relationships we build with equity and inclusion in mind. ”
In addition to DCI’s new staff, Tanyah Barnes has become associate director of operations for the division.
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