Three candidates will visit campus for open forums about the position of
vice president for Inclusion and Equity. From left to right are Jesse M.
Bernal, John F. Gates and Carmen Suarez.
Open forums for VP position begin Tuesday
Jan 20, 2015
Three candidates for the position of vice president for Inclusion and
Equity will visit campus January 20-22 to give presentations at open forums.
They are Jesse M. Bernal, director of the Office for Diversity
and Inclusion at Santa Clara University in California; John F. Gates,
president and CEO of Campus Diversity Agenda and principal of
Criticality Management Consulting in New York City; and Carmen Suarez,
chief diversity officer and associate vice provost for Student Affairs
at the University of Idaho.
The forums, which are open to the campus community, are set as
follows:
• Suarez: Tuesday, January 20, 11 a.m.-noon, Kirkhof
Center, room 2204
• Gates: Wednesday, January 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m.,
Kirkhof Center, room 2204
• Bernal: Thursday, January 22,
2:30-3:30 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2250
In his position at Santa Clara University, Bernal develops
strategies for recruitment and retention of faculty from
underrepresented groups and coordinates with the Offices of Enrollment
Management and Affirmative Action to recruit and support a diverse
student body. Prior to that position, he coordinated system-wide
diversity and inclusion initiatives at the University of California in
the Office of the President.
Bernal earned a bachelor’s degree from Westmont College, and
master’s and doctoral degrees in education from UC Santa Barbara.
An organizational scientist, Gates specializes in institutional
diversity and inclusion strategies. He has served as an associate dean
at Harvard College, faculty member at Harvard University, as special
assistant for diversity programs at the University of Vermont, and
executive director of global operations at New York University.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, master’s
degree from New York University, and a doctoral degree in
organizational behavior from the University of London.
Suarez is chief diversity officer and associate vice provost for
Student Affairs at the University of Idaho. She served in a variety of
capacities at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, including
director of the Office of Diversity and Equity, interim assistant vice
chancellor for Enrollment Management, and assistant dean in the School
of Law.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, and a
doctoral degree in education all from SIU.
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