Speakers

Presidents Panel 

Ana Mari Cauce
President, University of Washington 

Ana Mari Cauce is the 33rd president of the University of Washington where she has been a member of the faculty since 1986. A graduate of the University of Miami and Yale University, she is a noted scholar on risk and resilience among adolescents and has received numerous awards for her research as well as the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Before becoming president in 2015, she served as chair of the Departments of American Ethnic Studies and Psychology, as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and as provost, the University’s chief academic officer. In 2008, she played a key role in establishing the Husky Promise, a program that has helped more than 40,000 low-income students attend the UW. Since becoming president, Cauce has put a spotlight on the UW’s work in population health across the University, launched the University’s Race & Equity Initiative and been a champion for ensuring the UW and public higher education across the country remain accessible and affordable for all students. As president, and throughout her tenure, she has worked to advance the University’s mission of serving the public good by focusing on the UW’s impact on the lives of the people in Washington and throughout the world.  Read complete biography. 

Robert J. Jones 
Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Robert J. Jones became chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on September 26, 2016. He previously served as president of the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) and is an experienced and accomplished scientist and research university leader. A Georgia native, Jones, born in 1951, earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Fort Valley State College, a master’s degree in crop physiology from the University of Georgia, and a doctorate in crop physiology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. He began his academic career as a faculty member at Minnesota in 1978 and became an internationally respected authority on plant physiology. Read complete biography. 

David Kwabena Wilson
President, Morgan State University

David Wilson, Ed.D., the 10th president of Morgan State University, has a long record of accomplishments and more than 30 years of experience in higher education administration. Dr. Wilson holds four academic degrees: a B.S. in political science and an M.S. in education from Tuskegee University; an Ed.M. in educational planning and administration from Harvard University; and an Ed.D. in administration, planning and social policy, also from Harvard. He came to Morgan from the University of Wisconsin, where he was chancellor of both the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin–Extension. Before that, he held numerous other administrative posts in academia, including vice president for University Outreach and associate provost at Auburn University, and associate provost of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Read complete biography. 

Keeping Our Faculty Symposium Speakers 

Lori Patton Davis 
Professor, The Ohio State University

Translating DEI Work to Action

Lori Patton Davis, PhD is chair of the Department of Educational Studies and Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at The Ohio State University. She is one of the most highly respected, accomplished, and influential scholars in the field of higher education. She is author of more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and other academic publications appearing in venues such as The Journal of Higher Education, Teachers College Record, Journal of College Student Development, Urban Education and International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Read complete biography. 

Karen Diver
Senior Advisor to the President for Native American Affairs, University of Minnesota

Karen Diver is currently serving as the Senior Advisor to the President for Native American Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Her previous roles include Director, Business Development, Native American Initiatives at the University of Arizona, and as the inaugural Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence for Native American Affairs at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. She was an appointee of President Obama as the Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs.

Michael Goh
Vice President for Equity and Diversity, University of Minnesota 

Michael Goh, PhD is vice president for equity and diversity for the University of Minnesota 5-campus system. He is also a professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change. Read complete biography.  

Robert L. Larsen
President, Lower Sioux Indian Community Council 

Robert L. Larsen was elected to the Lower Sioux Indian Community (“Community”) Council, the Community’s governing body, in 2013 and presently serves as the Community Council President. President Larsen, also known as "Deuce" to many, is very active in his role advancing the interests of the Community. He also participates in matters supporting tribal/state relations and serves as the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council Chairman. When President Larsen is not handling official business, he enjoys spending time with his family - his beautiful wife and eleven children, playing pool, golfing and riding his Harley.

Sam Museus
Professor, University of California San Diego 

Translating DEI Work Into Action

Dr. Museus is Professor of Education Studies at UC San Diego. He is also Founding Director of the National Institute for Transformation and Equity (NITE). Prior to joining UC San Diego, he taught at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Denver, and Indiana University. Read complete biography. 

Cristobal Salinas Jr.
Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University

Translating DEI Work to Action

Cristobal Salinas Jr., Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Research Methodology Department at Florida Atlantic University. His research promotes access and equality in higher education and explores the social and political context of education opportunities for historically marginalized communities. Read complete biography. 

Robert M. Sellers 
Vice Provost for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan 

Robert M. Sellers, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Howard University and his doctorate in personality Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is responsible for overseeing the University’s five-year strategic plan for diversity, equity and inclusion, and serves as a principal adviser to the President as a member of the University’s executive leadership team. Dr. Sellers works with the Provost on matters related to diversity at the University as well as a broad range of academic issues including the budget, faculty tenure and promotions, and student enrollment. He oversees operations of three central administrative units. Dr. Sellers provides strategic leadership to increase access and success for all students, recruit and retain diverse faculty, and develop academic programs that prepare all students for success in a diverse world. Prior to joining the Provost’s Office, Dr. Sellers was chair of the University of Michigan Department of Psychology. His research interests include ethnicity, racial and ethnic identity, personality and health, athletic participation, and personality. He has published several research articles and book chapters that examine factors associated with the psycho-social development of African American student-athletes.