2023 DEI Forum

Rickey Hall is the Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity and University Diversity Officer at the University of Washington. Appointed in August of 2016, Hall oversees the university’s progress in diversity and works to ensure and facilitate an integrated vision and shared responsibility for diversity. He has oversight of the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) which administers programs that broaden college access, support student success and enhance diversity-related teaching and learning across campus. He also works collaboratively with and serves as a resource for the UW campuses, colleges and administrative units as they establish, coordinate and assess their contributions to institutional diversity goals.

Ujima Sands is the Assistant Vice President & Inclusion Strategist for Total Talent Management – Human Resources at the University of Washington, where she provides strategic direction and oversight for the DEI team. She also leads units across UWHR Total Talent Management, including Professional & Organizational Development, Recruiting and UTemp Staffing; facilitates leadership and DEI training; and performs coaching and consulting for executive leaders across the UW.

Caroline Titan serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Washington, Bothell. In her current role, Caroline provides strategic vision, implementation, and evaluation of campus-wide DEI effort.

Elavie Ndura serves as Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion and holds faculty rank of professor of education with tenure. Her leadership focus is to collaborate with campus and community partners to foster a learning and working environment where all students and employees feel safe and welcomed so that they can bring their authentic best selves to campus and thrive in realizing their academic and professional dreams.

Val Schweigert is a proud queer, “mixed” Filipinx-American professional and social justice educator. She analyzes her lived reality through sociological frameworks and an intersectional feminist lens. Val has worked in higher education student affairs for the last 6 years. Her work aims to center, amplify, and empower voices from the margins. Her praxis embodies a love ethic of collective care, accountability, and dreams of liberatory futures. Val currently serves as the Associate Director of the Q Center, the 2SLGBTQIA+ resource centers for the University of Washington campus.

Sebawit G. Bishu is an Assistant Professor of Public Management at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her scholarly work explores race and gender relations in public organizations with a focus on leadership, street-level bureaucracy, identity, and organizational behavior.

William Covington is Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the School of Law. A 1973 graduate of New York University he spent two years working in a Harlem-based juvenile justice diversion program. Following graduation (1977) from the University of Michigan School of Law, Dean Covington served as a staff attorney for Evergreen Legal Services assisting indigent clients with family law, landlord-tenant, and consumer protection problems. In 2003 Dean Covington joined the UW Law faculty as director of the Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic. During his time at the law school, Dean Covington chaired or co-chaired the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and coordinated the work of crafting the law school’s Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Multiculturalism and Antiracism. Beginning in the academic year of 2021, Dean Covington served full time in his current position.

Jon Sallows has been a DEI Committee Member for the Office of Research for two years and helped form the Disability and Staff Working Group as an ally. In addition, he’s an administrator in the Office of Sponsored Programs with several years of experience in closed captioning media, PDF accessibility, and staff advocacy. Jon is happy to be a resource for neurodiverse allyship for those interested in supporting and advocating for neurodiverse staff but may not self-identify as disabled or neurodiverse.

Image Description: Asian American woman (Christine) with long brown hair smiling at the camera.

Christine Lew (she/her) is a disabled and neurodivergent-identifying CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) committed to breaking down barriers for Deaf/disabled people in education and employment, and creating inclusive, accessible spaces for all. A UW graduate in psychology and disability studies, she served for two years as director of the ASUW Student Disability Commission and served as the program operations manager at UW Disability Resources for Students.

Deborah Alterman has been Director of Program Operations for the MS in Data Science program since it began in 2016. Her ADHD has helped her to create, strengthen and expand operational support for a highly successful professional master’s program created by 6 departments across 4 schools and colleges. Her ADHD also makes it hard for her to arrive at meetings on time, even if she is leading them.

Leilani Lewis serves as Assistant Director for Diversity, Communications and Outreach at the University of Washington.

Dr. Rashida Love was born and raised in California’s San Fernando Valley. After graduating high school, Dr. Love and her family relocated to Washington State, where she attended South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia. Dr. Love then transferred to The University of Southern Mississippi, where she completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Counseling Psychology. Over the course of the last 15 years, Rashida has worked in a variety of staff, administrative, and faculty roles within higher education at several colleges and universities around the country, most notably in senior leadership roles at Multicultural Offices at The Evergreen State College and University of Nevada Las Vegas.

In 2021, Rashida completed her doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University. Her doctoral dissertation: We Are Not The Same: The Experiences of Black Women Multicultural Directors at Predominantly White Institutions examined the experiences of Black Women Multicultural Directors at Predominantly White Universities, and reflected her ever-evolving commitment to centering the experiences and voices of women of color at predominantly white institutions. Rashida is passionate about supporting women of color in academic and professional spaces where they often experience intersectional oppression, and believes this journey starts with our students. As the Director of the Sisterhood Initiative, Rashida strives to build a community where women of color are uplifted, acknowledged, and celebrated for their authentic selves. She believes the University of Washington is made stronger and richer by the women of color who attend and work here, and is deeply proud to serve in this role.

Outside of work, Rashida is a devoted daughter, sister, and friend. She can be found enjoying live music, spending time with family and friends over a good meal, cuddling with her dog Kahbee, and sharing endless celebration, laughter, and conversation with the people she loves.

Victoria Gardner Ed.D., M.Ed.,(she/they/siya pronouns) is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Health Systems and Population Health and the Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.  She has been residing in Duwamish territory (Seattle) for 40 years after migrating from the Philippines in 1981.  In 2009, she received her Doctorate in Education with a focus on Workforce Development and Cultural Competency Education from the UW.  She utilizes her Education degree in combination with anti-oppression experience to develop workplace and academic programs that helps increase the health careers ecosystem for individuals from diverse backgrounds, retain faculty and staff of color, and help leaders around her to lead with anti-racism, humility and equity.  Most recently, she has delivered Universal Anti-Racism Training – a six hour virtual workshop – to over 1000 SPH faculty and staff.  Designed to meet school wide competency requirements around racism and health, UART is a large part of the work SPH is doing to become an anti-racist organization.