Inclusion and Diversity Committee

The Inclusion and Diversity Committee was established in 2018 to monitor the climate regarding the engagement of diverse student, staff, and faculty populations and to coordinate and support activities to improve inclusion and diversity in the College of Engineering. 

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Faculty and Staff Representatives

  • Jeff Fergus 
    Committee Chair
    Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies & Program Assessment
    Professor, Materials Engineering
  • Vinamra Agrawal
    Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering
  • Maria Auad
    Associate Dean, Graduate Studies & Faculty Development
    Professor, Chemical Engineering
  • Anahita Ayasoufi
    Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering
  • Ben Bowers
    Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Jessica Bowers
    Manager for Career Development Content & Strategy, Career Development & Corporate Relations
  • Teresa Carden
    Program Administrator, 100+ Women Strong
  • Brooke Chandler
    Administrator of Academic Programs, Recruiting, K-12 Outreach, and Scholarships
  • Virginia Davis
    Professor, Chemical Engineering
  • Oladiran Fasina
    Department Head & Professor, Biosystems Engineering
  • Erin Garcia
    Lecturer, Industrial & Systems Engineering
  • Somer Givens 
    Analyst, Online and Continuing Education
  • Brendan Higgins
    Assistant Professor, Biosystems Engineering
  • Chanho Lee
    Assistant Professor, Materials Engineering
  • Cassie Montgomery
    Communications Specialist, Communications and Marketing
  • Jakita Owensby Thomas
    Associate Professor, Computer Science & Software Engineering
  • Meredith Reid
    Assistant Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Jenny Sconyers
    Student Initiatives Administrator, Engineering Administration
  • Jessica Taylor
    Interim Director, Center for Inclusive Engineering Excellence
    Director, Recruitment and Scholarships
  • Tammy Walker
    Senior Manager, Human Resources

Student Representatives

  • Victoria Ballard
    Graduate Student, Engineer Together Fellow
  • Justin Harvell
    Graduate Student, Council of Engineering Graduate Students
  • Jada Neal
    Undergraduate Student, College of Engineering School's Council
  • Krishna Patel
    Undergraduate Student, Society of Women Engineers
  • Tylan Rudolf
    Undergraduate Student, National Society of Black Engineers
  • Jesus Ruelas Barragan
    Undergraduate Student, Out in STEM
  • Nicolas Sarmiento
    Undergraduate Student, Society for Hispanic Engineers

Since 2018, the Committee has undertaken initiatives to serve faculty, staff, and students in the College of Engineering community. 

  • Inclusive Assignments   |  Developing resources for faculty members to incorporate and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in-class assignments
  • Students with Children   | The committee organized activities for students who have children
  • Train-the-Trainer  |  Six faculty and staff members participated in a pilot Train-the-Trainer program led by the University Office of Inclusion and Diversity
  • Implicit Bias Training   | Faculty and staff collaborated on a presentation with the University Office of Inclusion and Diversity to introduce students in the freshmen engineering orientation course (ENGR 1100) to implicit bias in the context of a professional skill needed for success in the engineering professions
  • Branding of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Activities   |  Launched the Engineering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website to collect and promote the College’s DEI efforts. The site also serves as a resource for future and current students, faculty, and staff. Developed the Engineer Together brand, launched in October 2021, to demonstrate the connection among a variety of Engineering DEI initiatives.  
  • Climate Survey  |   Identified a climate survey developed by the University of Michigan that is available for use. Adapted the survey for Auburn College of Engineering.
  • Listening Sessions + Survey   |  Organized four listening sessions for faculty, staff, and students to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Conducted a follow-up survey after the listening sessions. 
  • Discussion Groups | Organized small groups to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion topics on a regularly scheduled basis. 

  • Awards | Promoting awards for exceptional work on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion; developing additional awards.