Three Women Who Have Been Appointed University Diversity Officers

Rashanda Booker will be the inaugural chief diversity officer at Fresno State University in California, effective January 3. She has been serving as the inclusive excellence and engagement director at the University of Mississippi.

Dr. Booker earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University. She holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership, research, and counseling from Louisiana State University.

Cara Takakjian, senior lecturer, undergraduate program director, and chief undergraduate advisor for Italian studies, has been named associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has been with the university since 2015.

Dr. Takakjian earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in romance languages and literatures from Harvard University.

Dan’Talisha Deans was appointed the inaugural director of development for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for the Division of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the former director of the White House’s Personnel Office and was a management analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Deans received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. She holds a master of social work degree with a concentration in community organizing and social administration from the University of Pittsburgh.