As BW builds on its commitment to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for individuals to explore and embrace the richness of diversity on campus, the University is pleased to announce Randi Congleton, Ph.D., as BW's Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

In her role, Congleton will provide strategic direction and oversight for all programs and activities that promote inclusive excellence and welcoming environments for all constituencies at Baldwin Wallace. She will assume her position in early January.

Congleton currently serves as assistant vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to that appointment, she was the vice president of equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Chatham University in Pennsylvania.

In her scholarship and career, she has focused on the ways in which institutional policies and practices inhibit thriving, full equity, inclusion and justice for underserved communities. She believes in the importance of people uniting to have challenging social justice conversations as a way to create understanding and improve equity outcomes.

Congleton earned a Ph.D. in education and organizational leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds an M.S. in community services from Michigan State University and a B.S. in agricultural and extension education from The Pennsylvania State University.

In 2019, Congleton was named a Woman of Excellence by the New Pittsburgh Courier. She is also a member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and an alumna of its prestigious Standards of Professional Practice Institute. She serves on the Black Girl Equity Alliance Advisory Board, the research arm of Gwen's Girls, and the GED Testing Service Transformation team.

“As we welcome Randi to the BW community, we look forward to the strategic direction and initiatives she brings to diversity and inclusion across all facets and constituencies of the University," stated BW President Bob Helmer.