DEI Council

About

Governors State University (GovState) has established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC) of 20 – 25 students and employees, who act on behalf of the organization to launch and support the diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) process. The committee is a critical driver in fostering real organizational change, establishing a dedicated focus on diversity and inclusion priorities, and promoting DEI practices. The DEIC Chair (Chief Diversity Officer) works closely with senior leaders to ensure tight alignment with the organization’s overall business strategy and to accelerate DEI goals.

The GovState DEI Council strives to create an organizational culture and climate in which all students and employees are valued, have a sense of belonging and connection with one another and the organization, and feel empowered to do their best work.

DEIC is charged with researching, developing, and proposing mechanisms to help create a supportive, positive, and inclusive work environment for all students and employees of GovState.

The purpose of Governors State University’s (GovState’s) DEI Council is to help provide support, guidance, and direction for the university’s mission and vision toward creating, implementing, and sustaining strategic DEI goals.

The DEI Council will consist of at least 20 – 25 diverse members of the GovState community, including faculty, staff, students, and the campus community. This council will be made of a single nominee from each of these leaders on campus except for the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Graduate Studies, who will have two (2) nominees each. These nominations must be confirmed by the President to be officially appointed to the Council.

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DEI Council Members

	Name	Position	Representation
	Joi Patterson	Chief Diversity Officer	Office of the President
	David Rhea	Dean, GovState Honors College	Academic Affairs
	Lannie Brown-Simon	Deputy Director, Procurement	Administrative and Finance
	Patricia Rounsaville	Client Relations Representative III, Financial Aid	Civil Services
	Jillian Klean Zwilling	Assistant Professor	College of Arts and Sciences
	Karen Williams	Manager of Enrollment	College of Business
	Lamise Shawahin	Assistant Professor, Psychology and Counseling	College of Education
	Luther King	Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy	College of Health and Human Services
	Angela Szczepanik-Sanchez	Director of Access Services for Students with Disabilities	Office of Access Services for Students with Disabilities
	Emmanuel Lopez	Director, LatinX Center	Enrollment Management
	Kaitlyn Wild	Director of Compliance	General Council
	Kayla Siam	Attorney, Thompson Coburn LLP	Governmental and Community Affairs
	Candace Smith	Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Leadership	Graduate Studies
	Markita Alexander	HR Testing and Recruiting	Human Resources
	Shannon Olison	Director of Advancement Services	Institutional Advancement / Marketing
	Cari Didion	Assistant Professor, Science Librarian	Library
	FeMia Norwood	Director of Sponsored Programs And Research	Office of Sponsored Programs and Research
	Matthew Cooney	Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Leadership	Professional Development
	Rebecca Seifert	Assistant Professor, Art History	UPI
	Lisa Pennington	Associate Professor,	COE, CAS
	Janelle Crowley	Chief of Staff	PACAA Representative
	Melanie Whitelow	Business Administrative Assistant	Business and Finance
	Scott Sowinksi	Executive Director CPA	Events
	Jailyn Stevenson	Assistant Director of Housing	Housing
	Akiko Ota	ESL Director	SXL
	Megan Washington-Sims	Graduate Student	Graduate Studies
	Chaitanya Kumar Vepareddygari	International Graduate Student