Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members,

Each of us plays a role in fostering an environment that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. But as I wrote to you last month, I believe it is imperative to have a senior leader at the College who is primarily focused on advancing this shared commitment. I am therefore delighted to inform you that, following a national search that attracted a diverse pool of talented candidates, S. Brooke Vick will join the College as its inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion, effective January 8.

In this newly created position, Brooke will collaborate with members of the campus community to lead the development of a comprehensive, cohesive strategy that defines and advances the College’s DEI priorities and goals. She will report directly to me and will serve as a key strategic advisor and vital member of the College’s senior staff.

Brooke brings many years of deep and varied experience to this new role. Currently, she serves as the chief diversity officer and associate provost for equity and inclusion at Muhlenberg College, where she is also an associate professor of psychology. There, she has developed institutional strategy and assessed progress toward fulfilling the college’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals; advanced initiatives to support faculty and staff development in inclusive practices; improved recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty and staff; and partnered with the provost to support and advance strategic academic initiatives, policies, and processes for curriculum development and assessment.

Prior to Muhlenberg, Brooke was an associate professor of psychology at Whitman College, where she taught classes such as The Psychology of Prejudice, Social Stigma, and Lab in Intergroup Relations. At Whitman, she partnered with the vice president for diversity and inclusion to research, develop, and oversee Whitman’s first diversity strategic planning process and implementation of diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives, as well as held other leadership roles. Brooke holds a B.A. in psychology from Colorado College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from UC–Santa Barbara.

My thanks to the team from the search firm WittKieffer and the members of the search committee for the time and energy they invested in this successful search:

• Erin Brownlee Dell, Chief of Staff and Secretary of the College
• Elizabeth Drake, Director of Sustainability
• Natalie Gainer ’15, Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions
• Roy Greim ’14, Associate Director of Web Communication, Communications 
• Nora Johnson, Professor of English Literature 
• Sharmaine LaMar, General Counsel
• Paula MacDonald, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources
• Rabbi Michael Ramberg, Jewish Student Advisor and Interfaith Center Interim Co-Director
• Susan Smythe, ADA Program Manager/Senior Project Manager, Facilities Management
• Ameet Soni, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Associate Dean of the Faculty for Diversity, Recruitment, and Retention
• Tiffany Thompson, Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence, Student Affairs
• Ashley Turner, Senior Academic Technologist, Information Technology Services

Additionally, I am grateful for the students, faculty, and staff members who made themselves available to meet with the finalists.

I look forward to Brooke’s official arrival on campus early in the new year. In the meantime, please join me in welcoming her to the Swarthmore community.

My best, 

Val Smith
President