Wednesday, July 28 at 2:00 PM-3:15 PM

Participants will come away from this session understanding the impact a lack of compositional diversity within faculty and administrators has on the identity, growth, and sense of belonging for underrepresented students. The discussion will address the link between racial oppression on college campuses and how a lack of diversity amongst faculty and administrators perpetuates that oppression. Participants will learn to identify and understand the institutional practices that contribute to this systemic oppression and become equipped with strategies for restructuring these systems.

Presenters

Tanyka M. Barber

Tanyka Barber Tanyka M. Barber is a Senior Associate with TNG and has extensive experience in civil rights compliance in both higher education and K-12 settings. Tanyka’s key areas of expertise include sexual misconduct (Title IX), discrimination and harassment (Title VI, Title VII and Section 504/ADA), and diversity and inclusion. Tanyka draws on her past experiences as a campus-based practitioner when working with institutions to execute strategies to resolve and mitigate civil rights-based issues. Tanyka frequently provides consultation, training, investigation, and policy review/development services. She also serves as an expert witness in Title IX cases. Prior to joining TNG, Tanyka served as the Director of Diversity and EEO and the Title IX Coordinator at Morgan State University, a historically Black college and university, in Baltimore, Maryland. Tanyka served in a similar capacity as the EEO Officer at Baltimore County Public Schools. Tanyka earned her B.S. in Health Education from Morgan State University; her M.H.S. in Health Policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health; and her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law. She is a member of the State of Maryland Bar.

Leah Reynolds

Dr. Leah Reynolds is an experienced administrator with over 11 years of services in the industry of higher education. Having worked in a variety of areas within several colleges and universities, Leah has developed an expertise in Title IX, DEI, and Affirmative Action. Her leadership, coordination and strategic direction has been recognized nationally by Insight into Diversity and by Former President Barack Obama’s Administration. Dr. Reynolds is an exceptional communicator, skilled at collaborating and influencing stakeholders internal and external to an organization. She has the keen ability of assessing an organization’s culture and effectively re-energizing teams to be more productive and engaged. Prior to joining TNG, Leah worked in a variety of roles specific to Title IX, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Affirmative Action for public mid-sized state schools, private religious-based institutions and the community college sector.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at diversity@pitt.edu by July 21