Greetings!
Dr. Janice Bell Underwood is the United States of America's Chief Diversity Officer - literally. She serves the Biden-Harris Administration as Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at the Office of Personnel Management. Prior to this position, Dr. Underwood served as the first Cabinet-level Chief Diversity Officer in the nation in the administration of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.
The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has been honored to collaborate with Dr. Underwood for many years, starting when she was an educator at Hampton High School, then during her time as an administrator at Old Dominion University, and more recently during her service in the Northam administration. On March 30, VCIC presented Dr. Underwood with the Distinguished Virginian Award for her significant impact across Virginia and the nation. In reflecting on the recognition, Dr. Underwood shared:
"Thank you to Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities... for such an incredible and prestigious award! I appreciate all the work the state board, the regional boards, VCIC staff, and volunteers do everyday in service to inclusive excellence and making DEIA tangible and operational across the state of Virginia and the nation! I am BEYOND grateful for the recognition and hope that it contributes to a more honest national dialogue about equity and justice!"
She went on to add, "We need more organizations like VCIC!" We are honored to have VCIC's work known and appreciated across Virginia and beyond.
As always, please let us know how VCIC can support your community. You can see day-to-day updates about our work by following VCIC on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We look forward to working with you!