A trio of distinguished Office of Diversity and Inclusion [ODI] staffers were part of a group of 31 faculty and staff members from across the university who were featured recently in the 18th edition of Who's Who in Black Columbus.
At a gala event in early November at the Ohio Union, Dr. Dorinda J. Gallant, Jera Oliver, and Dr. Chila Thomas were among the prominent Buckeyes honored as part of the release of the newest edition of Who's Who. The trio of dynamic ODI women are joined in the latest annual by other university leaders including Senior Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence Dr. Wendy Smooth, and (outgoing) Provost Dr. Melissa Gilliam.
"We love to see our staff's hard work and talent recognized by the broader community," said Yolanda Zepeda, interim vice provost for ODI. "Dorinda, Jera, and Chila are all shining examples of how we work every day to foster greater diversity and inclusion while eliminating barriers to success for our students."
As a Faculty Fellow in ODI since January 2019, Dr. Gallant directs the Ohio LSAMP Alliance. She was honored by the university with the Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award in 2021 for her role in leading a consortium of six four-year Ohio universities and four Ohio community colleges. She is an associate professor in the quantitative research, evaluation, and measurement program in the Department of Educational Studies.
Under Gallant's direction, Ohio LSAMP has achieved significant outcomes in advancing equity and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at Ohio State and other Ohio Alliance partner institutions. Overall, the LSAMP Program has dramatically increased the retention of underrepresented college students through programming that includes advisement and counseling, residential summer bridge and early arrival programs, summer undergraduate research internship experiences with stipends, faculty and peer mentoring, tutoring, and supplemental instruction.
The senior director of development for ODI, Oliver pursued a career in philanthropy to leverage it as a means for civic engagement and social change. After serving for four years as director of development for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Oliver joined ODI bringing her invaluable experience in fundraising (major gifts), stewardship, and relationship management to the office.
A graduate of Kent State and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, Oliver was also the Director of Annual Giving for the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. Oliver's dedication also extends to meaningful service in the community where she is co-founder of the Growing and Growth Collective, a volunteer initiative that promotes BIPOC engagement in urban agriculture.
An innovative leader who has directed the Young Scholars Program since August 2018, Dr. Thomas was awarded the 2021 Presidential Staff Award for her role in leading the ODI flagship program, which supports low-income, first-generation college students from Ohio's biggest cities.
As a result of her leadership, the first-year retention rate for YSP has increased to 90%. She instituted an early arrival program, a first-year seminar course, and peer mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students and created the Education Equity, Excellence course development committee. Additionally, in a higher education partnership with the Dominican Republic, Dr. Thomas serves as a subject matter expert and is leading the development of “Camino a la Universidad” or Road to College, a bridge program for low-income, first-generation students pursuing higher education in that country.