OCU’s Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Search Committee has recommended four finalist candidates for consideration by President Martha Burger: Dr. Talia Carroll, former State Sen. Angela Monson, Dr. Terrence Mitchell, and Dr. Jobi Martinez. Each candidate will take part in campus, alumni, and community forums during the week of Feb. 24.
Alumni and community members are invited to join us for one of the following sessions, which will be held in the OCU School of Law (800 N. Harvey, OKC):
| Candidate | Date | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Terrence Mitchell | February 24 | Room 509 | 4:15-5:00 p.m. |
| Fmr. State Sen Angela Monson | February 25 | Room 509 | 4:15-5:00 p.m. |
| Dr. Jobi Martinez | February 26 | Room 504 | 4:15-5:00 p.m. |
| Dr. Talia Carroll | February 27 | Room 509 | 4:15-5:00 p.m. |
Meet the Candidates
Dr. Talia Carroll
With nearly 15 years of experience, Dr. Talia Carroll has dedicated much of her career to improving the academic and social support offered to historically marginalized and underserved populations, with special attention devoted to enhancing campus climates and experiences for all students, faculty, and staff.
In her five years as Director of the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), Dr. Carroll has worked to transform support and mentoring opportunities for students. In recent years, she contributed to the creation of the Interfaith Engagement Committee, supporting interfaith inclusion efforts at UNC. Dr. Carroll’s scholarship, research interests, and practice reflect deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and leadership.
She has presented at several conferences and is a member of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education – NASPA and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master’s of Education in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma, and a PhD in higher education from The Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Jobi Martinez
Dr. Jobi Martinez currently serves as the Visiting Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD). Dr. Martinez works closely with the president and other administrative leaders on diversity, access, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She is specifically charged with developing and advancing a diversity and inclusion strategic plan, a diversity and inclusion marketing and communication plan, and assisting the diversity and Title IX officer with implementing and advancing faculty, staff, student, and community initiatives. She led the university to receive its first Insight into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award.
Prior to joining UHD, Dr. Martinez served as the Managing Director and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer at Texas Tech University where she helped establish a division of 13 units committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and community engagement from 2009 to 2014. In 2014, she left her position to complete her doctorate degree. During this time, she consulted diverse colleges and universities on campus climate studies, diversity and inclusion marketing and communication, antiracism, and strategic plans.
Dr. Martinez is recognized as a National Thought Leader for her diversity leadership and media and communication research.
Dr. Terrence Mitchell
Dr. Terrence Mitchell has served as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania since January 2019. He has worked in higher education for more than 28 years and has had responsibility for many areas including diversity affairs, student activities, leadership programs, scholarship allotment, academic discipline, grant management, and campus security. He previously served as Chief Diversity Officer at the State University of New York College at Oneonta.
He entered his career in higher education at the University of Oklahoma, followed by positions at San Francisco State University and Allegheny College. He is a founding member for the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and a co-founder of the College Readiness Program (CREED), an independent non-profit education consulting entity.
Dr. Mitchell holds a BA in journalism, an MEd in higher education and a PhD in administration and leadership studies. His dissertation is on “An Exploratory Study Regarding the Impact of Motivating Factors on Work Engagement in the Field of Diversity Work in Student Affairs and Higher Education.”
Former State Sen. Angela Monson
Former State Senator Angela Monson has a long-standing commitment to equity and inclusion, beginning with her engagement as a youth member of the Black Board of Education, an elected entity established by the Oklahoma City Urban League to shadow the then all-white Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education.
She has continued to work for fairness, justice, inclusion and equity for all through community-based efforts and through her careers. She values collaboration and the active engagement of all people. She has steered the creation and growth of various coalitions representing the diversity that exists in the local community and across the nation to address policy and practice issues.
The inaugural leader of many organizations and programs, she most recently served as the Associate Provost for Community Partnerships and Health Policy and as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She focused her work on developing programs and expanding opportunities for underrepresented students, creating institutional processes to give greater voice to employee affinity groups, and participating in curriculum development and delivery to enhance cultural competence.
