Three candidates for the position of Chief Diversity Officer at the University will be visiting campus within the next few weeks to participate in public forums as part of the interview process.
Each candidate will make a presentation on the topic of “Diversity and Inclusion on College Campuses – Initiating Best Practices at UConn,” during a 90-minute session in the Konover Auditorium of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.
Candidates will also answer questions from the community about how their backgrounds and skills qualify them to serve in this position, which was established based on a recommendation by the Task Force on Diversity.
Reporting to President Herbst, the chief diversity officer will be charged with educating and motivating members of the community to fully embrace diversity and inclusion as core values to be collectively practiced at UConn.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to preview the candidates’ CVs, attend the forums, and offer feedback on surveys.
Lisa McBride, Thursday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
Frank Tuitt, Monday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m.
Joelle Murchison, Monday, Feb. 29 at 1:45 p.m.
Lisa McBride currently serves as chief diversity officer at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, advancing the institution’s goals for embracing diversity and inclusion in pursuit of educational excellence. In that role, she works closely with Student Affairs, Admissions, the Provost’s Office, and Human Resources to enhance the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff from diverse and underrepresented population groups. McBride provides guidance to faculty on curriculum and academic course development with regard to diversity and inclusion and works closely with the President’s cabinet in developing an institutional vision and strategy for the college’s diversity goals. Prior to Philadelphia, McBride served in similar roles at the California University of Pennsylvania and Tallahassee Community College in Florida. In addition to teaching and performing research, McBride is a certified Campus Title IX administrator, a certified human diversity instructor, and county court mediator in the State of Florida.
Franklin Tuitt currently serves as senior advisor to the Chancellor and Provost on diversity and inclusion at the University of Denver, as well as an associate professor of higher education. Tuitt has held numerous roles at the University of Denver throughout the past 12 years, beginning as an assistant professor. Prior to his work there, he was an instructor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. As the senior advisor on diversity and inclusion, Tuitt serves as a member of the University of Denver’s executive leadership team, with responsibility for addressing diversity and equity matters. In that capacity, he oversees the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Interdisciplinary Research Incubator for the Study of (In)Equality, and the DU Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship. Tuitt also works with academic units to develop diversity plans and inclusive excellence dashboards. He has authored a number of books, journal articles, and book chapters related to higher education.
Joelle Murchison currently serves as vice president of enterprise diversity and inclusion at The Travelers Companies Inc. in Hartford, a $27 billion, Fortune 200 property and casualty insurance company. Reporting to the senior vice president of Human Resources, Murchison serves as the company’s chief diversity officer responsible for creating, implementing, and leading the execution of the company’s enterprise-wide diversity strategy. She manages the company’s executive diversity council, working directly with business leaders to develop workforce and core business strategy related to diversity. Murchison also established the company’s Diversity Speaks series to provide educational opportunities to enhance employee diversity and inclusion capability, and she serves as a member of the Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams to Graduation and Education) leadership team, linking the company’s philanthropic commitment to education to diversity and promoting career opportunity. Prior to joining Travelers, Murchison held similar roles at United Technologies Corp., and INROADS Inc., a non-profit organization that partners with corporations to provide access to talented underrepresented college students through summer internships.
