Jay Pearson, the H.M. Foundation associate professor of public policy at Duke University, was named the inaugural associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Sanford School of Public Policy at the university. A former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, Dr. Pearson’s research focuses on on how socioeconomic drivers affect health outcomes.
Dr. Pearson is a graduate of North Carolina Central University. He holds a master’s of public health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate from the University of Michigan.
Dan’Talisha Deans was appointed the inaugural director of development for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for the Division of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the former director of the White House’s Personnel Office and was a management analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Deans received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. She holds a master of social work degree with a concentration in community organizing and social administration from the University of Pittsburgh.
Gina Dent is the inaugural associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Humanities Division at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is an associate professor of feminist studies, history of consciousness, and legal studies at UCSC. Dr. Dent is co-author of Abolition. Feminism. Now. (Haymarket Books, 2022).
Dr. Dent is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University in New York City.
