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In Review

CONTINUING CONVERSATIONSExperts to Offer Designs for Diversity Nationally recognized experts on inclusive workplaces to help guide University-wide effort. By Jim Ver Steeg
respect_expertsEXPERT IDEAS: DeEtta Jones (left) and Jerome Offord will help guide a University-wide approach to diversity and inclusion at Rochester. (Photo: Courtesy of DeEtta Jones and Associates)

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Vision and Values Statement Rochester.edu/president/vision-and-values/

Commission on Women and Gender Equity in Academia Rochester.edu/commission- women-gender-academia/

The University has engaged the consulting firm DeEtta Jones and Associates, considered one of the nation’s leading diversity and inclusion educators, to help guide key elements of the University’s equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts, President Richard Feldman announced in early April.

The agency’s principal and founder, DeEtta Jones, and associate Jerome Offord are scheduled to visit Rochester in late April to meet with campus and community constituents.

Jones brings 25 years of experience as a management consultant, diversity and inclusion educator, and organizational development and training professional. She’s one of the most sought-after speakers and consultants in her field.

Mary Ann Mavrinac, vice provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of University Libraries, worked with Jones on the strategic planning process for River Campus Libraries and says she helped thread diversity and inclusion into the plan from its inception.

“DeEtta is a luminary, and she earned that status from over 25 years of helping individuals and organizations integrate higherorder values into the work they do to realize change that is sustainable, transformative, and compelling,” says Mavrinac. “She is intuitive, warm, intelligent, experienced, and insightful. I believe that she will leave an indelible mark on the University.”

Jones and Offord are charged with helping frame a new University-wide equity, diversity, and inclusion office. They will also help draft a position description for a person to lead that office. During their visits, Jones and Offord will meet with the President’s Cabinet, the University Diversity and Equity Council, and other members of the campus community who are engaged in the work of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Jones says she has plans for their first visit to Rochester. “We want to listen and come to a better understanding of Rochester’s current efforts and its aspirations for the future,” she says. “We also want to identify the organizational and any cultural attributes that will help inform our approach.”