Four Women Who Have Been Appointed to Diversity Posts in Higher Education

Myra Blanco, director of advancement, partnerships, and outreach at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has been named senior faculty fellow for the Office of Research and Innovation. In this role, Dr. Blanco will provide leadership for increasing diversity, inclusion, and empowerment of faculty and staff across Virginia Tech’s research and innovation enterprise.

Dr. Blanco received her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from Virginia Tech.

Joyce Sackey has been named the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer and associate dean at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Since 2018, she has served as associate provost and chief diversity officer at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

A native of Accra, Ghana, Dr. Sackey holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a medical degree from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Stephanie Potts was promoted to chief diversity officer at Danville Area Community College in Illinois. She has been on the staff at the college for the past 12 years, most recently serving as the director of the college’s counseling and advisement department.

Potts is a graduate of Danville Area Community College. She earned a master’s degree in counseling from Eastern Illinois University.

Ufuoma C. Abiola has been named the inaugural associate university librarian for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Princeton University Library. Dr. Abiola most recently served as the inaugural executive director for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Columbia Business School in New York City.

Dr. Abiola is a graduate of Boston College, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago and a master’s degree and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania.