Oakton Diversity Leader Michael Anthony Receives Prestigious Fellowship

(August 13, 2015) The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education announced that Oakton Community College Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Michael D. Anthony has been selected as one of two 2015-16 NADOHE fellows from a nationwide pool of nominees.

The NADOHE Chief Diversity Officer Fellows Program (CDOFP) is a professional leadership program of mentorship for new and early career Chief Diversity Officers. The purpose of this one academic year CDOFP is to provide each fellow with mentoring from a senior level CDO with at least 10 years of experience, and a secondary mentor with complementary expertise, for guided professional development opportunities and experiences.

“I am honored and extremely proud to be named a CDO Fellow of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. This experience will give me the tools needed to assess and improve the climate of our campus for students and employees and accelerate our inclusion and student success efforts,” Anthony says. “This fellowship will also highlight the great work we are doing at Oakton related to access, equity, and diversity.”

At the beginning of the pilot year, each fellow will collaborate with his mentor to develop a Diversity Officer Leadership Plan (DOLP), visit the CDO mentor's campus, shadowing the mentor, and learn about diversity issues, policies, procedures, politics and campus climate of the mentor's institution, as well as the mentor's leadership style, strategies, successes and challenges. The mentor will also visit the fellow's campus to better understand the diversity issues and challenges facing the fellow.

Throughout the balance of the academic year, the CDO mentor and fellow will meet regularly via teleconference. The fellow will serve on NADOHE's Conference Committee, as well as develop an individualized professional development project to be presented at the NADOHE Annual Conference. At the conclusion of the fellowship, the CDO fellow and the mentor will each complete a program assessment and final report highlighting the learning and leadership experience, including a formative and summative evaluation of the structure and substance of the fellowship and recommendations that might benefit future CDOFP participants.

“Oakton serves and connects its diverse campus communities that includes many cultures, races, socioeconomic classes, gender expressions, sexual orientations, religions, abilities, and ages,” says Oakton President Joianne Smith. “I am so pleased for Michael to receive this recognition for the innovative work he is doing at Oakton in deepening the college’s understanding of equity, particularly as it relates to understanding and supporting our diverse student body. This fellowship will provide him further opportunity for professional development that will directly benefit our students.”

NADOHE President Benjamin D. Reese notes, “We are delighted to again offer this opportunity for an early career Chief Diversity Officer to obtain real time guidance and on the ground learning from a more senior colleague. The goal is to enhance the fellow's professional knowledge and experience in order to stimulate strategic thinking and advance outcomes at their home institutions.”

NADOHE serves as the preeminent voice for diversity officers in higher education. Its vision is to lead higher education towards inclusive excellence through institutional transformation. For more information about NADOHE, visit www.nadohe.org.