Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

I am delighted to announce that Professor of History Chia Youyee Vang has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, effective March 1, 2021. Dr. Vang will lead UWM’s Division of Global Inclusion and Engagement (GIE) following Dr. Joan Prince’s retirement next month.

The Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO) reports directly to me, is a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, and serves as a campus leader providing strategic vision, policy direction, and operational oversight of the GIE division, which includes Equity/Diversity Services, the Life Impact Program, Multicultural Student Centers, Panthers Foundation for Success, and the STEM-Inspire Program. GIE is also responsible for the implementation of UWM’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) framework, the Racial Justice and Equity Program, a new history book about UWM’s contributions to diversity, and other DEI initiatives.

Dr. Vang brings a wide breadth of experience to this position, including 3 years as an associate vice chancellor for GIE and 15 years in the UWM History Department, where she is a well-rounded teacher and scholar with a strong commitment to students and instruction. She regularly publishes and contributes to her field. During the last six months, she led a team of faculty and staff to develop UWM’s Racial Justice and Equity Program. Outside of academia, Dr. Vang has more than 10 years of experience facilitating processes and developing opportunities for diverse communities.

I am also pleased to announce two additional GIE appointments.

Professor and Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education Elizabeth Drame will serve as Interim Special Assistant to the CDEIO for DEI Initiatives. Dr. Drame will oversee the launch, roll-out, monitoring and evaluation of anti-bias/anti-racist training for employees (spring 2021) and students (summer/fall 2021) and work on faculty recruitment, selection and retention efforts. Dr. Drame has worked at UWM for 16 years.

Professor and Chair of History in the College of Letters and Science Joseph Rodriguez will serve as Interim Special Assistant to the Chancellor and CDEIO for Strategic Cultural Change. Dr. Rodriguez will work on cultural change efforts related to the 2030 plans, Moon Shot for Equity, the Care, Respect and Expression actions and other matters. Dr. Rodriguez has worked at UWM for 30 years.

Both Dr. Drame and Dr. Rodriguez will be members of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and start their appointments this month.

Congratulations to Drs. Vang, Drame and Rodriguez on their new appointments.

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone, PhD
Chancellor