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Diversity Advisory Council


 The UGA Diversity Advisory Council is an advisory board with responsibility to the Provost via the Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Strategic University Initiatives.  The council serves as a broad-based advisory group with representation by the major components of the university so as to have a voice from staff, faculty, and administrators. 

The Office of Institutional Diversity welcomed the inaugural Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) on Dec. 10, 2014 at the State Botanical Garden. The Council promotes a proactive and ongoing engagement to support an ethic of inclusion throughout the university. The Council is committed to inclusive excellence, providing a welcoming campus culture and fostering living, learning and working environments supportive of the differences and similarities of all people. The Council aids in developing and implementing strategies to increase the awareness and value of diversity at UGA. Membership is open to faculty, staff and administrators. The term of service is three years. A broad range of experiences, backgrounds and expertise among different areas of diversity is important.

 

The Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) will assist the Office of Institutional Diversity (OID) in the design and implementation of strategies that advance and enhance diversity at UGA. The council will advise the associate provost in issues related to diversity and inclusion on this campus. This council should identify the barriers to achieving greater diversity at UGA and provide recommendations on how to overcome those barriers.

The council, through its committee structure, will study the diversity literature research and review models in order to propose best practices and strategies that improve diversity at UGA. In addition, the council will provide public campus forums for the discussion of diversity-related issues and ideas and promote a campus dialogue about diversity with a particular focus on ensuring a sense of inclusion.

The Inaugural (2016-2017) Diversity Advisory Council members are:

  • Diane Miller, Director of Student Academic Services in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander,  Associate Professor in the Terry College of Business
  • Dr. Paige Carmichael,  Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Victoria David, Director of the Office of Diversity Affairs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • Janette Hill,  Professor in the College of Education
  • Jan D. Hudson,  Human Resources Manager in the University Libraries
  • Hilda Kurtz,  Associate Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
  • Bill McDonald, Dean of Students 
  • Charles Orgbon III,  Student Representative
  • Raye Rawls,  Senior Public Service Associate in the J. W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
  • Alexia Ridley, Reporter/Anchor for WUGA-FM 91.7/97.9 FM
  • Tim Samples, Assistant Professor in the Terry College of Business
  • Ernest Webster,  Business Development Coordinator in the Division of Finance and Administration
  • Jana Carpenter, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Onyedikachi Ekwerike, Lecturer, Terry College of Business - Institute for Leadership Advancement
  • Cesar Escalante, Professor,  College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • Michael Gantt, Senior Assistant Director, Financial Aid
  • Rebecca Hallman Martini, Assistant Professor of English and  Director of the Writing Center
  • Hilda Kurtz, Geography Department Head, Franklin College
  • Matthew Li, Undergraduate Student Representative
  • Emily Renee Mouilso, Administrative Director, Psychology Department Franklin College
  • Naomi Norman, Interim Director, Associate Vice President for Instruction
  • Raye Rawls, Senior Public Service Associate, Public Service Outreach-Fanning Institute Leadership Development
  • Alex Reed, Associate Professor & Director of the Legal Studies Certificate Program
  • Kaori Sakamoto, Professor, Department of Pathology
  • Demetrius Smith, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Andrea Sweigart, Associate Professor, Genetics
  • Nakia Wade,  Senior Director for Diversity, University Human Resources