Appointment of Marquita Chamblee as WSU chief diversity officer

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Marquita Chamblee, Ph.D., as Wayne State University's associate provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, effective February 2, 2015. In this newly created role, she will lead Wayne State's comprehensive efforts to enhance all aspects of diversity and inclusion, including success for all students, faculty and staff diversity, promotion of intercultural skills, and leadership accountability for diversity and institutional equity.

Dr. Chamblee is a diversity specialist and multifaceted collaborative leader with 30 years of higher education experience. She has worked with a broad constituency of students, from high schoolers to Ph.D. candidates, as well as faculty, staff and trustees at a wide range of institutions.

She has led campus diversity offices in Virginia and California. Currently, she is the director of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Managing a staff of eight professionals, she provides leadership for programmatic initiatives in areas of student retention and support, multicultural education programs, diversity and inclusion training, research and assessment, and strategic planning.

Prior to George Mason, she worked as a consultant in the San Francisco Bay area and on staff at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, where she served as director of the Dismantling Racism Program. She also has held administrative and faculty roles at Michigan State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

"I am excited to be joining Wayne State University," Chamblee said. "I am looking forward to engaging with students, staff, faculty, administrators and alumni, as well as the surrounding community, to co-create and sustain a diverse, inclusive and welcoming campus. While we have our work cut out for us, I know we are more than ready to move forward to create a culture that supports and nurtures us all - most importantly, our students."

Dr. Chamblee earned a Ph.D. in agricultural education and a master's in animal industries from Penn State and a bachelor's in animal science from Purdue University.

I want to thank the Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Search Committee and Monica Brockmeyer (chair) for their excellent work in concluding this search.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Chamblee to Wayne State.

Sincerely,

Margaret E. Winters
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs