A Trio of Women Who Have Been Named to Diversity Posts in Higher Education

On September 1, Sonia DeLuca Fernández will become the senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Colorado Boulder. She has been serving as associate vice provost for educational equity at Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. DeLuca Fernández holds a bachelor’s degree in African American studies and a master’s degree in social foundations of education, both from the University of Iowa. She received her doctorate in higher education from the University of Michigan.

Sibby Anderson-Thompkins was appointed vice provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee. Dr. Anderson-Thompkins has been serving as special advisor to the chancellor and provost for equity and inclusion, and as the interim chief diversity officer, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Anderson-Thompkins earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a master’s degree in educational research and a Ph.D. in educational policy studies from Georgia State University.

Kauline Cipriani will be the new vice president for diversity and inclusion at Colorado State University, as of August 1. She has been serving as associate dean for inclusive excellence at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Cipriani earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She holds a master’s degree in microbiology and genetics and a Ph.D. in food microbiology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.