Inclusion Advocates

IAs are TU tenured faculty and permanent status librarians who are trained as search and selection process advisors. Their preparation includes a 16-hour Seminar and on-going education addressing current research and best practices about implicit bias, diversity, representation, and the ever-changing legal landscape in hiring, inclusive employment principles, and practical strategies for each stage of the search process. IAs are consistently on the cutting edge of effective advocacy of de-biasing the search process.

The Office of the Provost has committed to ensuring that a designated Inclusion Advocate sit on tenured, tenure track faculty and permanent librarian search committees.

Role and Responsibilities

Per the TU Tenured, Tenure-Track, Faculty and Permanent Status Librarian Hiring Procedures:

• The role of the IA is to serve on the search committee as a resource to promote inclusive and equitable screening and evaluation of applicants.
• The IA shall ensure that all voices are heard during the search process, and if necessary, address discriminatory behavior within the search process with support of the committee chair, department chairperson, dean, Assistant Provost for Diversity & Inclusion, and Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity.
• The IA is expected to participate in the same aspects of the search as other members of the search committee throughout the process.

The IA Seminar

All Inclusion Advocates take part in an in-depth Seminar in preparation for their role. The content of the IA Seminar includes major topics such as:

• Demographics, Multiple Identities, & Intersectionality
• The Creation of Inclusion Advocates
• The Role & Expectations of Inclusion Advocates
• Diversity, Representation, Equity & Inclusion Language
• TU Hiring Protocols, Policies, Procedures
• Interrupting Bias in the Faculty Search
• Cognitive Errors and Case Scenarios
• Best Practices in Outreach, Recruitment, and Interviewing
• Best Practices in Multicultural Interviewing
• Mediation Techniques, Dialogue, Conflict Resolution
• Change Management

The IA Seminar will be provided at least once every other year as a collaboration between the Office of the Provost and OIIE.

Inclusion Advocates 

College	Inclusion Advocate
CBE	Shantanu Bagchi, Associate Professor, Department of Economics Seth Gitter, Professor, Department of Economics Melissa Groves, Associate Professor, Department of Economics Parolia Neeraj, Associate Professor, Department of Business Analytics and Technology Management Douglas Sanford, Professor, Department of Management Yongchen Zhao, Associate Professor, Department of Economics
CHP	Tara Blackshear, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology Devon Dobrosielski, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology Karla Kubitz, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology Mary Lashley, Professor, Department of Nursing Hyunjeong Park, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Kaitlyn Wilson, Associate Professor, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Jenna Yeager, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science
CLA	Sharon Jones-Eversley, Associate Professor, Department of Family Studies & Community Development Jason, Freeman, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology Darnell Morris-Compton, Associate Professor, Department of Family Studies and Community Development Salvatore Pappalardo, Associate Professor, Department of English Paporn “Bee” Thebpanya, Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Planning Bethany Willis Hepp, Associate Professor, Department of Family Studies and Community Development
COE	Todd Kenreich, Professor, Department of Secondary & Middle School Education Cole Reilly, Associate Professor, Elementary Education   Rebecca Shargel, Educational Technology and Literature  Marcia Vandiver, Associate Professor, Elementary Education   Ocie Watson-Thompson, Early Childhood Education
COFAC	Michael Angelella, Professor, Department of Electronic Media & Film  Amanda Burnham, Professor, Art, Design, History and Education  Michaela Frischherz, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies   Joseph Kraemer, Associate Professor, Department of Electronic Media &  Film   Tavia La Follette, Associate Professor, Theatre Arts  Soo Rhee, Associate Professor, Mass Communication  Steven Satta, Professor, Theatre Arts  Vincent Thomas, Professor, Department of Dance
FCSM	Joyram Chakraborty, Associate Professor, Department of Computer & Information Sciences Josh Dehlinger, Professor, Department of Computer & Information Sciences Clare Muhoro, Professor, Department of Chemistry Faith Weeks, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Cindy Zeller, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Cook Libraries	Rick Davis, Copyright and Scholarly Communications Librarian Joyce Garczynski, Assistant University Librarian for Communication & Digital Scholarship Shana Gass, Head of Research Services Bill Helman, Head of Library Information Technology Ashley Todd-Diaz, Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections and University Archives

What Inclusion Advocates are Saying...

“The Inclusion Advocate training was eye opening for me as a faculty member of Towson University and as a member and chair of several past faculty search committees. It drove home the point of how and why we need to do better at advancing our institution's mission of fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable campus for all, from students to employees. With this training, I feel more confident and well-equipped to advocate for inclusive practices throughout the search committee process.”

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"Through the IA program, I gained insight into the key ingredients needed to promote a respectful and diverse workplace that values and supports the inherent worth and dignity of each person. I also received valuable insight on the structures and processes needed for hiring, recruiting, and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce."

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“Inclusion is an embodied practice not a switch to flip on or a box to check. It is how we see, hear, taste, smell, feel, which informs how we think.”

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Questions? Email Dr. Iona Ringgold, Assistant Provost for Diversity & Inclusion at iringgold AT_TOWSON