Three African American Women Named to Diversity Posts in Higher Education

Lynne M. Holden was named senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. Dr. Holden has been a member of the faculty at the College of Medicine since 1996. She is a professor of emergency medicine at Einstein and an attending physician at Montefiore Health System. Dr. Holden is only the fifth African American woman in the United States to be named a full professor of emergency medicine at an academic medical center.

Dr. Holden is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. She holds a medical doctorate from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Rana Johnson was appointed the inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Kansas State University, effective December 1. Dr. Johnson currently serves as associate vice president for inclusive excellence and strategic initiatives at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Before joining Indiana State in 2019, Dr. Johnson was the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer at Unity College in New Gloucester, Maine.

Dr. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She holds a master’s degree in speech communication from Eastern New Mexico University and a doctorate in interpersonal and intercultural communication from the University of Kentucky.

Jenn Hunter was named chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for the Big 12 athletic conference. The conference currently has 10 member universities ranging from West Virginia to Texas. Hunter was the senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association.

Hunter is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in public relations and sports administration. She holds a juris doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston.

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