Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program

According to the 2012 Georgia Tech Climate Assessment Survey, some faculty, staff, and students expressed feelings of marginalization by gender, race, and ethnicity. In response to these findings, a Strategic Plan Advisory Group proposal was submitted in 2016 to launch the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program in an effort to accelerate cultural transformation.

With support from Institute Diversity and the ADVANCE program, the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program brings together faculty, staff, and students who individually and collectively advance their action, research, or teaching objectives while improving inclusivity on campus.

Primary Responsibilities
  • Cultivate a network of ambassadors who will advance a culture of inclusive excellence.
  • Create an environment where people feel safe, comfortable, and empowered to discuss diversity and inclusion.
Meet the Fellows

The 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program includes Lorin Achey, Isabel Altamirano, Keshav Bumbraw, Simone Douglas, Connor Flannelly, Terrance Gresham, Anna Kirkpatrick, Grace Lesile, Cassie Mitchell, Kiera Patterson, Diana Roldan, Renee Shelby, David Smith, Collin Spencer, Nadia Szeinbaum, Sanjana Teje, Christina Wan, Shana White, Benjamin Williams, and Pedro Marquez-Zacarias. To read the 2019 fellows' bios, click here. 

The 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program included Troy Batugal, Natashia Boland, Rachel Chen, Sheila Cranman, Rishabh Datta, Claudio Di Leo, Heather Dicks, Jennifer Glass, Lacy Hodges, Avanti Joshi, Angela Keys, Preksha Kukreja, Minda Monteagudo, Rhea Perkins, Raneem Rizvi, Rockie Rodriguez, Sahana Srivatsan, Maloreigh Todd, Skyler Tordoya Henckell, Emily Weigel, and Conan Zhao. To read the 2018 fellows' bios, click here. 

The 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program included Jennifer Beveridge, Brienné Coates, Santanu Dey, Lana Ferreira, Michelle Gaines, Stephanie Gillespie, Tia Jackson-Truitt, Ronald Johnson, Timothy Lieuwen, Susannah McFaul, Jerrold Mobley, Lauren Neefe, Dionne Nickerson, Irina Nikivincze, Yelena Rivera-Vale, Sebastian Ruf, Calvin Runnels, Hussein Sayani, Jacquelyn Strickland, and William Todd. To read the 2017 fellows' bios, click here. 

Program Activities 

Initial ideas from the fellows include symposia, workshops, improv performances, surveys, mentorship programs, and journaling exercises focusing on the various dimensions and intersectionalities of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability.

To view project spotlights from the 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, click here.

To view project spotlights from the 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, click here.

“Diverse collaboration often sparks great innovation. Some of the teams’ ideas may be institutionalized and scaled to the broader campus community over time.”

— Magnus Egerstedt, professor and Julian T. Hightower Chair in Systems and Controls for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, executive director for the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program

“This program is a bottom-up initiative, tapping into the creativity and diversity of thought of our campus community to crowdsource ideas that create long-term culture change.”

— Beril Toktay, ADVANCE Professor for the Scheller College of Business, Brady Family Chair and faculty director for the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, and co-director of the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program

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