Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

I write to share with you the bittersweet news that Sheree Ohen, Clark’s first full-time Chief Officer of Diversity and Inclusion (CODI), has accepted a new position at Harvard University and will be concluding her work at Clark on September 18.

Sheree has made many contributions to Clark since joining us in 2016, an impact exemplified by Clark’s receiving the prestigious 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity. We are grateful to Sheree for so much important work, notably having guided Clark’s campus climate survey to incorporate evidence-based strategies in establishing #ClarkForward: Pathways to Inclusive Excellence. She also launched the President’s Diversity Advisory Council, established the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program, strengthened our focus on diversity in faculty searches, established the ODI Co-Funding Program to support research and other work that promotes an inclusive campus, launched the inaugural President’s Achievement Awards for Inclusive Excellence, and inspired the first advancement effort solely dedicated to diversity and inclusion with the creation of the D’Army Bailey Diversity Fund. Along the way, Sheree played a critical leadership role in such efforts as the President’s Commission on Speech Rights and Community Values and the Task Force on Bias in Teaching Evaluations.

I will be consulting with students, faculty, staff, and alumni about future leadership for this critically important area. Please join me now in thanking Sheree for her significant contributions to an area in which Clark is committed to excelling and wishing her well in her new role.

Sincerely,

David B. Fithian

President