The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee meets monthly to provide guidance to the President regarding parity, inclusion, and representation for students, faculty, and staff at each campus location. Through its subcommittees and episodic ad-hoc groups, the full committee requests and analyzes data, creates action plans, and recommends comprehensive strategies aimed at dismantling power imbalances. This group is chaired by Alicia Bunton and committee members are listed below. If you are interested in joining the committee, please email Amit Thomas athomas18@iit.edu.
Have a question for the committee? Email: DEICommittee@iit.edu
Alicia Bunton
Committee Co-Chair
Assistant Vice President, Community Affairs
“Before my role in academia, my career spanned 20 years in public health addressing issues of parity, inclusion, and representation for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS in nine counties. I believe that everyone deserves equal economic, political, educational, and social rights and opportunities, particularly those who have been historically marginalized and in greatest need. I am committed to both DEI and social justice by changing processes and systems that perpetuate exclusion and discrimination.”
Helen Ezenwa
Committee Co-Chair
Assistant Dean for External Relations and Career Management, Stuart School of Business
Roya Ayman
Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology
Don Chmielewski
Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Kenneth T. Christensen
Provost, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Chief Academic Officer
Natacha DePaola
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Julie Diemer
Associate General Counsel
Arveal Drummer
Senior Director, Graduate Admission
Raj Echambadi
President, Illinois Tech
Britt Burton-Freeman
Chair and Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition
Niharika Hanglem
Program Director, Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship
Ron Henderson
Professor, Landscape Architecture and Urbanism Program
“My interest in serving on the committee grows out of my research and professional work on urban planning and landscape architecture issues of space, memorialization, and governance as structures for gender and racial justice and injustice.”
Cindy Hood
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Adrienne Irmer
Associate Vice President for Government Affairs
"The work of DEI resonates with me on a personal level, and it is my goal to bring the lens of equity to any role I have, especially now that I serve in leadership with Illinois Tech. This is valuable work that makes the workplace better for everyone and helps to create a safe learning space for all our students. Representation matters now more than ever."
Jackie McGhee
Executive Assistant to Dean of Students, Student Affairs
“I promote diversity, equity and inclusion in my role everyday, by challenging others to think about their own bias and how that affects their interactions with those they encounter in their everyday lives. It is not enough to say that you believe in DEI work and treat it as just another “box” to check. You must wholeheartedly live it and stride towards achieving the equity that all are owed.”
Diep Nguyen
Industry Professor, Chemistry
"Mother nature is the best synthesis chemist. With a few elements, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, she makes a diverse human population. It is an amazing feat. For me, this is diversity at its best. Each student is a unique and special set of elements put together specifically for them. They are different and their beauty is unique. My role is to encourage them to bloom on their own time."
Nichole Novak
Head of Reference and Instruction Services
Marsha Ross-Jackson
University Ombudsperson, Associate Dean, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Executive Director, Martin H. Malin Institute for Law and the Workplace, Senior Lecturer
Katie Stetz
Dean of Students
Amit Thomas
Vice President of Human Resources
Gary Walley
Associate Vice President, Student Health and Wellness
Bruce Watts
Vice President for Administration
Geoff Williamson
Professor/Associate Dean, Electrical and Computer Engineering
“DEI is important to me because we are all better off when every individual is treated with the dignity and respect we all deserve. I envision a future where that becomes a reality in the Illinois Tech environment, and I want to contribute effort to making it happen!”