Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion

February 3, 2016

President Peter Salovey sent the following message to the Yale community on February 3, 2016:

To the Yale Community,

In my November 17 message to students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I announced our plans to create a task force that will consider projects and policies related to diversity and inclusion. Today, I am pleased to let you know that the Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion has been formed and is now ready to begin its work.

I will chair the task force, and its membership is as follows:

Daniel Colón-Ramos, Associate Professor of Cell Biology

Gary Desir, Professor of Medicine

Emily Greenwood, Professor of Classics and of African American Studies

Kimberly Goff-Crews, Secretary and Vice President for Student Life

Burgwell Howard, Senior Associate Dean of Yale College; Associate Vice President for Student Engagement

Gerald Jaynes, Professor of Economics and of African American Studies

Sameer Jaywant, Yale Law School, Class of 2018

Sharon Kugler, University Chaplain

Mary Lui, Professor of American Studies and of History

Michelle Nearon, Associate Dean & Director, Graduate School Office for Diversity & Equal Opportunity

Victoria Nolan, Professor (Adjunct) of Drama

Gregory Sterling, Dean and Lillian Claus Professor of Divinity; Professor of Religious Studies

Deborah Stanley-McAulay, Chief Diversity Officer

Brandi Waters, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of History

William H. Wright, Yale College, Class of 1982 (alumni representative)

Abdul-Razak Zachariah, Yale College, Class of 2017

Martha Highsmith, my senior advisor, will serve as vice chair of the task force, and will be my liaison to the group as it carries out its work.

I am immensely grateful for the outpouring of ideas and perspectives shared with me these past several months by members of the extended Yale family, on campus and beyond. The task force will consider all of these and any future proposals that are submitted, and will advise me and other university leaders on those that hold the most promise to advance the goal of full inclusion on our campus. To send your thoughts to the group’s attention, please use the form we have created on the Inclusive Yale website at inclusive.yale.edu/share-your-ideas. The task force members—and I—look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Peter Salovey

President and Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology