Update from the Chief Diversity Officer

Donnie Perkins
Donnie Perkins, Chief Diversity Officer
As we mark the end of the year and embark upon a new one, I am pleased to provide an update on the exciting transformation that is underway to advance diversity and inclusion in the College of Engineering. Transition and steady progress best describe our journey to date.

I began my tenure as the first Chief Diversity Officer for Diversity, Outreach and Inclusion in the College of Engineering on January 5, 2015. Prior to joining Ohio State, I served as the first Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, and Dean and Director of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Chief Diversity Officer, reporting directly to the Dean of the College of Engineering, leads college-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives and the college’s Office of Diversity, Outreach and Inclusion. I partner and collaborate with internal and external constituents and stakeholders to advance diversity and inclusion for students, faculty, staff and alumni in the college, the university and the community. I am also developing relationships and partnerships with HBCUs, HSIs, TSIs and WHIs to build pipelines for graduate students, research, and student and faculty exchanges. I partner with administrative and academic leaders to increase the diversity of faculty and staff. I also serve on a number of university-wide committees that work to advance diversity and inclusion across all colleges and administrative units, and promote community engagement. Dean David B. Williams, though the implementation of our college’s strategic plan, has made it very clear that diversity and inclusion are key metrics by which the success of the College Engineering will be judged.

In 2014, the College of Engineering established the Office of Diversity, Outreach and Inclusion (DOI) to bring together K-12 programs, undergraduate recruitment, the Minority Engineering Program, the Women in Engineering Program and the Graduate Recruitment Program. The unit is focused on developing a pipeline of prospective women and diverse students to recruit, enroll and support their educational excellence and career preparation and readiness. The students, as always, are our first priority.


Feel free to email your questions and recommendations to me at perkins.498@osu.edu.

Donnie Perkins
Chief Diversity Officer