On behalf of the President of the College, Steven DiSalvo, Ph.D., the student body received an email on Feb. 14 announcing that the final Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) selection was Ande Diaz, Ph.D.

“As you know, over the past year we have been engaged in a nationwide search for Saint Anselm College’s first Chief Diversity officer,” Dr. DiSalvo wrote. “[The CDO] will work with myself, the Cabinet and the entire college to address the need to recruit and strengthen an intentionally diverse and inclusive community and environment on campus.”

Dr. Diaz has a “depth of experience” in various fields of Human Development and civic learning, as well as in diversity education and inclusion. In a student forum, Dr. Diaz mentioned that the positions she held at previous institutions suited her passion as an organizational change agent, a title she identifies as one of her qualifications for the CDO position.

In her resume, Dr. Diaz expressed her “lifetime commitment to diversity, social justice and developing world citizens.” In fact, one of the many reasons that excite faculty members about the promise of a CDO is the full-time commitment the CDO will show towards diversifying not only our community, but also the college’s curriculum.

Dr. Diaz holds a Bachelor’s degree from Yale University in American Studies and Social Sciences, an Ed.M. degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a doctorate in human and organizational development from the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA.

Aside from those collective years of education dedicated to human development and social justice, Dr. Diaz has had more than “10 years [of experience] as the most senior diversity professional on  several campuses,” as stated in President DiSalvo’s email to the college.

When asked what drew her to our community, Dr. Diaz responded, “The part about Saint A’s that’s interesting… is the intimacy of it and I love that about this school. It feels familiar to me.” She also included that she has a great interest in the civic engagement foundation for which the college is nationally known.

Dr. Diaz will relocate to New Hampshire from Pennsylvania with her husband, Peter McCaffery, to take on the position as Chief Diversity Officer this summer. She will officially begin her work with the college on July 15, 2017.

In terms of her duties as CDO, Dr. Diaz will report to the President of the College, and she will also sit as a member of the college’s Cabinet, as well.

Wayne Currie, director of the Multicultural Center, as well as many other groups on campus have said that the possibilities that come with the hiring of the CDO are endless and they are excited to see what change will soon come.

Dr. DiSalvo gave a “special thanks to Professor Maria McKenna for chairing the successful search for our new CDO” towards the end of his announcement email. This CDO search committee also featured the following: Dr. Harry Dumay, Aliesha Grandison ’17, Dr. Karlea Joiner, Dr. Jonathan Lupo, Marilu McCambly, Fr. Benet Phillips, and Donald Stokes ’17.