Chief Diversity Officer Appointment

January 6, 2015

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

It is my pleasure to announce that Dwight K. Hamilton, the associate vice president of affirmative action and Title IX officer at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, will be Smith’s chief diversity officer, effective February 23, 2015.

Dwight K. Hamilton has a long history of leadership in roles addressing gender equity, institutional diversity, social justice and compliance. At Grand Valley State, he has overseen the creation and revision of policies around sexual misconduct, religious accommodation, sexual assault response, transgender inclusiveness, and procedures that resulted in increased hiring of women and underrepresented racial groups.

After graduating from Michigan State University with a B.A. in criminal justice, Hamilton received a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the National Association of College and University Attorneys, the American Association of Affirmative Action, the Association of Title IX Administrators and the American Bar Association.

I want to thank all of the students, faculty and staff who took the time to meet with a strong group of finalists. I'd also like to extend a thank you to the search committee —Kim Alston, Neelum Amin ’86, trustee, Jennifer Chrisler ’92, Deanna Dixon, Larry Hunt, chair, Donna Lisker, Julie Ohotnicky and Mona Sinha ’88, trustee — for their hard work over the last several months.