A Trio of Women Who Have Been Appointed to University Posts Relating to Diversity

Alisa Macksey will be the next vice president of mission, diversity, and inclusion at La Salle University in Philadelphia, effective July 25. She has been serving as dean of student success and the First Generation Initiative at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota.

Born in the Philippines to a Thai mother and American father who met as employees of Bank of America, Macksey moved to the U.S. at age 3. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Saint Mary’s College of California and received a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She is a doctoral candidate in higher education leadership from Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota.

Lydia Contreras is the new vice provost for faculty diversity, equity, and inclusivity at the University of Texas at Austin. Contreras, who holds the Jim and Barbara Miller Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Chemical Engineering, has served for the past two years as the managing director of diversity in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. She joined the faculty at the university in 2011.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Contreras earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering from Cornell University.

Lakesha Butler has been appointed associate vice president for inclusion, diversity, and health equity and chief diversity officer for University of Florida Health. She starts her new job on August 22. She has been serving as a professor of pharmacy practice and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Dr. Butler holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a pharmacy doctorate from Mercer University in Georgia.