Ryan Forms Search Committee to Hire Next VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Old Cabell hall from the Lawn with trees changing into fall colors

Ryan Forms Search Committee to Hire Next VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan has established a committee to begin the search for UVA’s next vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Reporting to the president and serving as a member of his cabinet, the vice president works closely with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students, community members and other stakeholders to develop and execute strategies that advance UVA’s inclusive excellence. The Office for Diversity and Equity provides a place to consolidate, support, communicate and guide the University’s efforts in these areas. It also promotes a University climate and culture that incorporates cultural competency and continuous learning about the varieties of human difference.

Dr. Marcus Martin, who has announced his retirement, will stay on in the position until a successor is named.

“I want to thank Dr. Martin for everything he’s done for this university,” Ryan said. “It is a fitting tribute to Marcus’ hard work that he is retiring at a time when our first-year class is the most diverse in UVA history.”

Martin has been vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity since 2011 and served as interim for two years before that. Under his leadership, the Office for Diversity and Equity addressed the University’s history with slavery, especially through the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University, resulting in the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers project.

He developed the annual Community Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration into a series of events across the University and local community, lasting about two weeks. He oversees the Diversity Council and several other committees and programs, including: Disability Advocacy and Action; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender; Women’s Leadership; and the National Science Foundation-funded VA-NC Alliance to increase the number of underrepresented students in STEM disciplines. In 2010, Martin established the John T. Casteen III Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Leadership Award to recognize a member of the University community who best demonstrates a dedication to the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition, Martin, a doctor of emergency medicine, has been instrumental in presenting annual local community health fairs.

“I am also grateful to the members of the search committee,” Ryan said, “and I expect they will find some excellent candidates to help us continue the work of making UVA not simply inclusive and equitable, but also genuinely integrated.”

Information about the position can be found here.

Martin Davidson, Johnson and Higgins Professor of Business Administration and senior associate dean and chief diversity officer for the Darden School of Business, is chairing the committee.

“I’m honored and excited to lead this search," Davidson wrote in an email. "The work of our next vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion will be critical in ensuring that the University continues its pursuit of excellence. Diversity work, done well, is not just about making sure that all voices are present and heard, but that those voices work together effectively and justly to make the institution better." 

Other committee members include:

  • Maïté Brandt-Pearce, vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of electrical engineering.
  • Sylvia Chong, associate professor of English; director of American studies and director of the minor in Asian-Pacific-American Studies; also a member of the Faculty Senate Diversity Committee.
  • Alex Cintron, fourth-year student and president of Student Council.
  • Sarah Cole, assistant dean and assistant professor of English; chair of the Disability Advocacy and Action Committee. 
  • Rev. Alvin Edwards, pastor at Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church; was a member of the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University Local Advisory Board; also former mayor of Charlottesville
  • Tierney Fairchild, UVA alumna and inaugural chair of the UVA IDEA Fund; also was a member of the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University.
  • Vicki Gist, assistant dean of students and director of multicultural student services. 
  • Susan Kools, associate dean for diversity and inclusion in the School of Nursing and Madge M. Jones Professor in Nursing.
  • Dr. Babur Lateef, ophthalmologist and Board of Visitors member.
  • Gary Nimax, assistant vice president for compliance. 
  • Carla Williams, director of athletics. 
  • Carl Zeithaml, dean of the McIntire School of Commerce and Cornell Professor of Free Enterprise.

Media Contact

Anne E. Bromley

Office of University Communications