August 11, 2022
The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of its new Academic Diversity Officer Fellows Program (ADOFP), which offers leadership development and mentorship for new and early career academic diversity officers.
Over the course of the 2022-2023 academic year, the fellows will engage with an ADO mentor for guided professional development opportunities and experiences, including campus visits (virtual and/or in-person) and regular meetings. They also will attend NADOHE’s 2023 Annual Conference, to be held April 12-15 in Baltimore, Maryland. Fellows were selected from a pool of applicants from NADOHE member colleges and universities, based upon recommendations of the Association’s ADOFP Selection and Advisory Committee.
The ADOFP is modeled after NADOHE’s Chief Diversity Officer Fellows Program and is highly selective and collaborative with NADOHE member colleges and universities. “The pilot Academic Diversity Officer Fellow Program is another opportunity for NADOHE to support its institutional members and the academic community in strengthening their equitable, diverse and inclusive practices,” said former NADOHE board member Venessa A. Brown, the pilot’s director.
Inaugural fellows include:
Travis Albritton, Ph.D., MSW, MDiv
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Dr. Travis Albritton is associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion and a clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. He is the director of the Chapel Hill 3-Year MSW Program, the faculty liaison for the Dual Degree MSW/M.Div program, and the chairperson for the School of Social Work’s Diversity Committee. He also serves on the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
Dr. Albritton is a two-time recipient of the School of Social Work’s Excellence in MSW Advising Award. He has also received the School of Social Work’s Excellence in Teaching Award and has been recognized numerous times with the dean’s recognition for excellence in teaching. His research interests include educational equity in grades K-12, academic achievement among Black males and the importance of closing educational opportunity gaps for children of all ages. He has presented nationally on various topics, including the importance of critical conversations in the classroom and the needs of Black male high school students.
Dr. Albritton earned his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, his master of social work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, his master of divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School, and his bachelor’s degree from Elizabeth City State University.
Eleanor Fleming, Ph.D., DDS, MPH, FICD
University of Maryland School of Dentistry
Dr. Eleanor Fleming is assistant dean for diversity and inclusion and clinical associate professor in the Department of Dental Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health. Dr. Fleming earned her dental degree from Meharry Medical College, completed her dental public health residency at Boston University, and earned her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. She completed additional post-graduate training as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, where she investigated disease outbreaks and conducted studies to promote health equity.
Over the course of her career, she has developed subject matter expertise on infectious and chronic disease epidemiology and previously served as the dental epidemiologist overseeing the Oral Health Component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. She has been the principal investigator on a number of studies and has informed public health surveillance at state, national, and international levels. She holds leadership positions in the American Association of Public Health Dentistry and the American Public Health Association, was actively involved in the National Dental Association serving on its Coronavirus Task Force, and is a member of the Hispanic Dental Association and the Society of American Indian Dentists.
Jessica Meharry, MFA, Ph.D.
Columbia College Chicago
Dr. Jessica Meharry is the director of academic diversity, equity, and inclusion and associate professor in the Business and Entrepreneurship Department at Columbia College Chicago. As the director of academic DEI, Dr. Meharry leads college-wide efforts to transform curriculum and pedagogy through anti-racist frameworks. Her scholarly research focuses on three intersecting lines of inquiry that explore equitable design methodologies in both practice and pedagogy: anti-oppressive design practices for professional designers; envisioning anti-racist futures through design methods; and equity-oriented experiential education within design pedagogy and curricula. She also actively maintains an award-winning creative practice of graphic design projects, for both personal explorations and professional clients. Dr. Meharry holds degrees from Northwestern University, Savannah College of Art and Design, and IIT Institute of Design.