Four Women Who Are Taking on New Roles in Higher Education Relating to Diversity

Angela Marquez was named vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Community College of Aurora in Colorado. She has been serving as vice president of student affairs since January 2020. Earlier, Dr. Marquez was the special assistant to the president at Metropolitan State College in Denver.

Dr. Marquez holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Regis University in Denver. She earned a doctorate in education and human resources at Colorado State University.

Natara Gray is the inaugural assistant dean of admissions, diversity, and inclusion recruitment at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Most recently, she served as director of undergraduate admissions and diversity outreach at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Gray is a graduate of Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education administration at Northeastern University in Boston.

Jordan Brandt is the new interim director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Kansas, where she will oversee student equity and inclusion efforts. She has been serving as the assistant director of the Academic Retention and Engagement Center at the university.

Brandt holds a bachelor’s degree in health and physiology from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Kansas.

Randi Congleton has been named assistant vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at the University of Pittsburgh. She will join the university in November. She has been serving as the vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Chatham University in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Congleton earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and extension education from Pennsylvania State University. She holds a master’s degree in community services from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in education and organizational leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.