Championing Diversity
for Campus and Beyond
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A UW-Madison Diversity Update | Special Edition | June 22, 2021
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LaVar Charleston named
UW-Madison’s next
chief diversity officer
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Charleston, a clinical professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, has also experienced campus as a student – he earned his master’s and doctorate at UW–Madison. Photo by BRYCE RICHTER
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LaVar Charleston, an innovative leader and accomplished researcher with nearly two decades of experience related to diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, has been named to lead the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s diversity and inclusion efforts.
“This is a role of utmost importance as we continue to work toward a day when every member of our campus community is able to thrive, with no barriers to success,” says Chancellor Rebecca Blank. “Dr. Charleston thoroughly understands the challenges ahead and brings a comprehensive and impressive set of skills to address them. I’m excited to see where his leadership takes us.”
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Charleston currently serves as the inaugural associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion at UW–Madison’s School of Education, where he is a clinical professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. He earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the department in 2007 and 2010, respectively.
“It is with gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility that I take on this new role,” Charleston says. “UW–Madison means so much to me — it’s where I grew as a scholar, a researcher and an administrator. I want every member of the campus community to feel welcome, accepted and supported here.”
In his new position, Charleston will provide overall leadership for the university’s efforts to create a diverse, inclusive and successful learning and work environment for all students, faculty, staff, alumni and others who partner with the university. He will partner with schools, colleges and other administrative units across campus while supervising the units that comprise the DDEEA. Charleston will serve on senior leadership teams at the university, including the Chancellor’s Executive Committee and the Provost Executive Group.
Charleston says he will approach his new role with an acute awareness of how racial and social unrest and a pandemic have made the past two years very difficult for many members of the campus community, especially students and others in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities.
“These are hard and challenging times, but they are also encouraging times, because there’s a renewed energy on our campus,” he says. “We have more allies than we’ve had in recent times, and there’s a renewed sense of ownership and accountability when it comes to anti-racist practices and making sure our environments are inclusive.”
Charleston says his job will be to “look under the hood” and determine what’s working and what isn’t.
“For folks in diversity work, we’ve been really busy, but that’s a good thing,” he says. “We’re synthesizing our role in shaping the culture and instituting the structures that need to be in place so that everyone feels they belong. There are so many groups around campus doing this work, and everyone from the chancellor and the provost to our deans is making a concerted effort around diversity and inclusion. It’s a hopeful time.”
Other positions at UW–Madison followed, including a long affiliation with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, where he helped found Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB). He served in numerous capacities at Wei LAB, including assistant director and coordinator of the Research and Evaluation Division. Charleston’s research focuses on diversity, access and inclusion within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. He is the author or co-author of 50 manuscripts, including the book “Advancing Equity and Diversity in Student Affairs.”
From 2017-2019, Charleston served as the inaugural assistant vice chancellor for student diversity, engagement and success at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. He returned to UW–Madison in 2019 to become the associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion in the School of Education.
Charleston says he wants students to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to the spaces they inhabit. He plans to lead by example.
“What people need to know about me is that I’m a diehard Detroiter – born and raised,” he says. “A lot of who I am comes from my parents and grandmother and siblings and the blue-collar values they instilled in me. They helped prepare me for this moment.”
Charleston played Division I football and sings in Kinfolk, a local soul and R&B band. He enjoys boating, kayaking, biking and motorcycling. His wife, Sherri Ann Charleston, is his “No. 1 colleague and thought partner,” he says. She is the chief diversity and inclusion officer at Harvard University.
Cheryl Gittens has been serving as the interim deputy vice chancellor and chief diversity officer since July of 2020, having previously served as an assistant vice provost in the DDEEA.
“Dr. Gittens has done an outstanding job leading our diversity and inclusion efforts through an incredibly difficult and challenging time in our society and on our campus,” says Provost Karl Scholz. “We are in a stronger place because of her commitment to this institution, and I wish to express my deep appreciation for her work this past year.”
Jerlando F.L. Jackson chaired the 14-member search and screen committee. He is the Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education, department chair of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and director and chief research scientist of the Wei LAB.
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Derek Smith, Tracy Williams to Focus on DEI Education, Development & Contractors |
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The UW-Madison Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement is pleased to announce Derrick L. Smith has joined its management team as Senior Co-Director of External Relations, Partnerships, and Development. Smith will share duties with Tracy Williams for the coming year while Williams assists in the development of the university’s Supplier Diversity Program for the Division of Business Services with Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance.
Transitioning from the role of Director of Development with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Smith’s addition will enhance the DDEEA’s campus and community wide presence and role in diversity, equity and inclusion work, said Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer Cheryl B. Gittens. This includes Williams’ work to align with and support our institutional commitment to equity and inclusion in our staffing, purchasing, and external relationships, she added.
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“This expansion of our team is key to expanding our DEI into the operational and investment DEI priorities,” Gittens said. “Shared business goals and partnerships are an integral component in realizing the full range of tangible equity and inclusion goals by making diverse recruitment, contracting and supply options possible.”
Smith has an extensive professional background as a scientist, strategist, administrator in multiple sectors. While at WID, he managed the fundraising, strategic planning, donor relations, and stewardship of major gifts. Further, he previously led strategic planning and special projects at Catholic Charities and scientific sales and marketing for Thermo Fisher Scientific.
An Army brat, he was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Long Beach, California. He developed an early commitment to education as he saw his community produce young people who didn't see college as an option. He went to the U.S. Air Force Academy and pursued his life-long interest in science.
Derrick served as the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Urban League of Greater Madison. He is also one of the chapter founders of the 100 Black Men of Madison, Inc., and Past President of the Madison Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He also serves on the Agrace Hospice and Madison Symphony Orchestra Boards.
Both Tracy and Derrick’s roles are essential to promoting the DDEEA’s thought leadership in local and national conversations around issues of DEI in higher education, Gittens said. Additionally, these roles assist divisional leadership, scholarship programs, academic support services and, division units with garnering and leveraging resources to accomplish our strategic goals and priorities. Both will help DDEEA to identify and strengthen critical relationships in the local community, manage the reporting of donor-sponsored programs and efforts (High Impact Practices, Scholarship Programs, LINE, Multicultural Homecoming Initiatives, GVBACK App, and special projects and sponsorships with Community Relations).
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The Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement works to ensure an inclusive environment that encompasses not only race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability status, religion and national origin, but also a diversity of educational legacies and human experiences from a wide range of perspectives and cultural backgrounds.
The Division’s precollege, recruitment and retention efforts include:
The Division’s service units are:
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