Marsha McGriff, vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at the University of Masssachusetts Amherst, has been selected to receive the 2025 Diamond Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership from the Atlanta-based Not Alone Foundation. The foundation’s stated mission is fighting kidney disease.
The Diamond Award was created to celebrate outstanding leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is reflected in Dr. McGriff’s career of fostering inclusive environments, championing the advancement of marginalized communities, and elevating the voices of Black women in leadership roles. Dr. McGriff will be honored during a ceremony on Saturday, January 25, at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
Before coming to the University of Massachusetts in 2024, Dr. McGriff served as chief diversity officer and senior advisor to the president at the University of Florida. She previously served as associate vice president of inclusive excellence at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Dr. McGriff has previously been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including the 2024 Individual Leadership Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
Dr. McGriff is a two-time graduate of historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama where she received her bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in education. She earned a doctorate in education from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
