BRIEF: MGH Institute Hosts Massachusetts Chief Equity Officers as a Part of a National Convening

Four people sit in chairs while five people stand behind them — Those who attended the convening on the MGH Institute campus included (backrow l-r) Shaya Gregory Poku, Vice President for Equity & Social Justice at Emerson College; C. Emmanuel Wright from the Harvard Graduate School of Education Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Event Strategy; Joyya Smith, Vice President of Diversity, Access, and Inclusion at Suffolk University; Kim Truong, Chief Equity Officer at MGH Institute; Nina Harris, Manager of Adaptable Resolution and Restorative Practices, Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response at MIT; (front row l-r) Erika Head, Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion at UMass Amherst; Michelle Wallace, MGH Institute JEDI Department Coordinator; Patricia Lowe, Associate Vice President of Office for Institutional Diversity at Boston College; and Calvin Hill, Vice President of Inclusion and Community Engagement at Springfield College.

Date

November 21, 2024

Topics

The MGH Institute served as one of the host institutions for the Restorative Communities of Practice convening on Friday, November 15. The event organized by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) brought together more than 200 senior-level diversity leaders from higher education at 21 sites to reflect on and develop plans for responding strategically to the challenges to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

MGH Institute’s Chief Equity Officer Kim Truong served as the site facilitator with Chief Equity Officers from Massachusetts attending in person in 1CW and those from other states participating virtually. The attendees discussed the essential factors surrounding upholding DEI work amidst changing laws and shared practices that can transform campus culture, ways to respond to student activism, and reflected on their vision for the future and steps to support that vision.

Like the Amplifying Student Voices convening that took place in October, the perspectives and ideas shared during this convening will contribute to the ongoing conversation on how higher education can better serve all individuals and communities and will inform NADOHE’s work.

“It was truly impactful to have such a wide range of interactions and voices, with people coming together from across the state in one room,” said Michelle Wallace, the JEDI department coordinator who attended the event. “It felt like a much-needed moment of connection, centered around our shared work and the importance of coalition/community building. Additionally, the online interactions, sharing insights, and exploring different perspectives from various state contexts added even more depth to the conversation.”