University of Maryland Appoints Georgina Dodge to Lead Diversity and Inclusion

With decades of work in advocacy and building inclusive communities, Dodge joins UMD in the newly elevated Vice President position

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University of Maryland

Mar 25, 2019, 17:42 ET

COLLEGE PARK, Md., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland has named Georgina Dodge, PhD as Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. In this role, Dodge will work closely with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students and external constituencies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and respect as core institutional values. She will be a member of the President's Cabinet, and work with the Senior Vice President and Provost, the Provost's Council of Deans, and other senior leaders to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment.

"Following a highly competitive national search, Georgina was selected based upon her 23-year career of successful leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion at three universities," said University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh. "She is a tireless advocate for human rights, civil liberties, and equal opportunity, and we welcome her to Maryland."

Since 2017, Dodge has served as Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Bucknell University, and has held similar roles as Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President; Title IX Coordinator at the University of Iowa and Assistant Vice Provost of Office of Minority Affairs at The Ohio State University where she she convened and directed the university's Bias Assessment and Response Team, produced the university's annual diversity report and helped develop metrics for diversity performance evaluations.

"I am honored to be chosen to lead diversity and inclusion at the University of Maryland," said Dodge. "Across many higher education institutions, I have listened and learned from the communities I serve, and I look forward to partnering across the university to foster a vibrant and inclusive climate for all."

As a first-generation college student, Dodge brings a unique perspective to Maryland as an individual who took an unconventional path to educational and professional success. Prior to her career in academics, she served in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician. Upon completion of her six-year enlistment term, Dodge began her pursuit of an A.A. from Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California. After graduating with honors, Dodge continued to build on her education with a B.A. in English from the University of California Irvine, graduating summa cum laude. The scholar went on to earn both her MA and PhD in English from University of California, Los Angeles.

Following a six-year appointment as an Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University where she taught courses in African American, Asian, Multiracial and Women's Literatures, Dodge became the Director of the Department of African American and African studies at the community extension center in Columbus, Ohio. There she developed and implemented enrichment courses for community residents, worked with city and community officials on citizen beneficial partnerships and continued to develop multi-ethnic focused courses under the university umbrella.

Along with her various memberships to professional organizations like the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) and Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), she organized the Women of Color Caucus within the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States and has served in several other change-making positions throughout her 23-year career. Dodge was recently featured on the September 2018 cover of Diverse: Issues of Education.

About University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 37,000 students, 9,000 faculty and staff, and 250 academic programs. Its faculty includes three Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 56 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The institution has a $1.9 billion operating budget, and secures $560 million annually in external research funding. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu.

SOURCE University of Maryland