DEI Council

About

Governors State University (GSU) has established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC) of 20 – 25 students and employees, who act on behalf of the organization to launch and support the diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) process. The committee is a critical driver in fostering real organizational change, establishing a dedicated focus on diversity and inclusion priorities, and promoting DEI practices. The DEIC Chair (Chief Diversity Officer) works closely with senior leaders to ensure tight alignment with the organization’s overall business strategy and to accelerate DEI goals.

The GSU DEI Council strives to create an organizational culture and climate in which all students and employees are valued, have a sense of belonging and connection with one another and the organization, and feel empowered to do their best work.

DEIC is charged with researching, developing, and proposing mechanisms to help create a supportive, positive, and inclusive work environment for all students and employees of GSU.

The purpose of Governors State University’s (GSU’s) DEI Council is to help provide support, guidance, and direction for the university’s mission and vision toward creating, implementing, and sustaining strategic DEI goals.

The DEI Council will consist of at least 20 – 25 diverse members of the GSU community, including faculty, staff, students, and the campus community. This council will be made of a single nominee from each of these leaders on campus except for the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Graduate Studies, who will have two (2) nominees each. These nominations must be confirmed by the President to be officially appointed to the Council.

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DEI Council Members

	Name	Position	Representation
	Joi Patterson	Chief Diversity Officer	Office of the President
	Timothy Forde	Associate Provost and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs	Academic Affairs
	Lannie Brown-Simon	Deputy Director, Procurement	Administrative and Finance
	Patricia Rounsaville	Client Relations Representative III, Financial Aid	Civil Services
	Aparna Palakodeti	University Lecturer, Biology	College of Arts and Sciences
	Karen Williams	Manager of Enrollment	College of Business
	Lamise Shawahin	Assistant Professor, Psychology and Counseling	College of Education
	Luther King	Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy	College of Health and Human Services
	Angela Szczepanik-Sanchez	Director of Access Services for Students with Disabilities	Office of Access Services for Students with Disabilities
	Tonishea Mack	Assistant Athletics Director	Enrollment Management and Athletics
	Kaitlyn Wild	Director of Compliance	General Council
	Kayla Siam	Attorney, Thompson Coburn LLP	Governmental and Community Affairs
	Quincy Martin	Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Leadership	Graduate Studies
	Markita Alexander	HR Testing and Recruiting	Human Resources
	Shannon Olison	Director of Advancement Services	Institutional Advancement / Marketing
	Cari Didion	Assistant Professor, Science Librarian	Library
	FeMia Norwood	Director of Sponsored Programs And Research	Office of Sponsored Programs and Research
	Matthew Cooney	Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Leadership	Professional Development
	Lester Van Moody	Retention Specialist	Student Affairs/Dean of Students
	Latrice Jeanine Koger	Student Senate	Student Representative
	Rebecca Seifert	Assistant Professor, Art History	UPI
	Dawn Brown	Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy	Faculty
	Janelle Crowley	Chief of Staff	PACAA Representative