CFAES has announced the appointment of Patrice Dickerson as assistant dean and director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She begins on July 1, 2020.
In her new role, Dickerson will lead change as she oversees and manages DEI efforts that support CFAES’ strategic goals. She will be responsible for evaluating the college’s climate for faculty, staff, and students and for developing strategies to ensure that all CFAES faculty, staff, and students feel valued for their individual talents and unique cultural perspectives. She will also connect with CFAES faculty, staff, and students who do work in DEI to create synergies and garner guidance regarding CFAES’ DEI efforts and direction as a college.
“Dr. Dickerson brings a rich background of work and accomplishments in DEI,” said Tracy Kitchel, CFAES associate dean for faculty and staff affairs and Dickerson’s supervisor. “More immediately, her leadership will be important in keeping in mind the needs of our faculty, staff, and students during the COVID-19 pandemic as such situations can exacerbate issues of inclusion and access.’’
Dickerson joins CFAES from Virginia Tech University, where she is currently the inaugural director of faculty diversity in the Office for Inclusion and Diversity.
She has worked at Ohio State previously, having served as the assistant executive dean for strategic recruitment and diversity initiatives and the administrative director for the Office of Recruitment and Diversity Service in the College of Arts and Sciences before leaving for Virginia Tech.
Earlier in her career, Dickerson was an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati. She holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan.
Dickerson has been a member of the Association of Black Sociologists, the American Sociological Association, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals, and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.