ICCDC President
Dr. Purva DeVol
Associate Vice President of
Institutional Advancement
Triton College
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What drew you to DEI work?
I would not have been successful in college and in my career had it not been for the faculty and staff who supported me. I’ve learned that success- whether academic or professional- is dependent largely on the people who invest in you. I was lucky to have a support network of those who believed in me and shaped my journey.
I have strived to serve in the same capacity for others, advocating for equity and inclusion as a student success coach, a student mentor, and a leader of inclusive and equitable plans at two institutions.
We see your title, but what are your priorities on campus?
A priority on campus is leading strategic planning on campus, which includes a goal of fostering employee engagement through an equitable and inclusive lens. I’ve led teams of faculty to staff in work that has expanded employee recognition, provided education in equitable and inclusive supervision and student support, and engagement in Heritage Month education and events.
Another priority is focusing on immediate, positive outcomes for students without resources and/or access. I oversee a program that places individuals living in poverty into certificate programs and high wage positions. I also lead the management of grant cycles for nearly 40 grants of the college, nearly all of which are for the support of students outside of the classroom.
What’s your secret for balancing advocacy and self-care?
The secret for me is doing what I love for my self-care- for me, that’s walking. I dedicate time each morning and evening to self-care, focusing on my mental and physical well-being. This commitment allows me to be a stronger, healthier advocate for others that I work with, and in my personal life.
How about one of your goals as an ICCDC leader?
I would like to build on the ICCDC’s successes over the last few years by expanding on the strong relationships with each college. Specifically, I’d like to see the professional development series expanded so that ICCDC is seen more widely as “the hub” for PD in DEI.
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Vice President/President Elect
Dr. Candice Dowd Maxwell
Associate Vice President of
Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion
McHenry County College
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What drew you to DEI work?
I often say that I’ve been engaged in DEI work before I could name it. I recognize the need to pursue equity—to shift, change, and examine policies and practices that marginalize individuals based on their social and cultural identities. That recognition starts with influencing the ways in which we understand each other authenticity and exercising humility as opposed to applying coded narratives to people based on our own biases, assumptions, and divisive pathologies.
We see your title, but what are your priorities on campus?
My priority is to promote access to opportunities and resources and engage in strategic equity planning and implementation.
What’s your secret for balancing advocacy and self-care?
Engaging with other DEI professionals who understand the work and can offer support, guidance, and encouragement is important. I also believe in protecting my peace through meditation, laughter, and breathing exercises.
How about one of your goals as an ICCDC leader?
I am a strategic thinker and planner. Therefore, a goal would be to foster a strategic equity planning effort to build on the existing work and promote the growth, impact, and influence of the commission for community colleges in Illinois.
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Treasurer
Dr. Yolonda Barnes
Dean of Business & Social Sciences
Harper College
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What drew you to DEI work?
In kindergarten, my teacher was reading Little Black Sambo. I will never forget her words, “look, Sambo is black just like Yolonda” as she turned the book around to show the picture to all the children. It was that day, I discovered I was different from the other children in my classroom. It was that day, I found out I was black. Since then, I have worked hard to bring awareness of DEI (and what macro/micro aggressions and how to deal with them). An example of this was during high school. Each year, I brought awareness to and staged events during Black History Month.
We see your title, but what are your priorities on campus?
As the new Dean of Business and Social Sciences at Harper College, my first priority is to get to know my faculty and staff within the division. To help move the DEI needle, I plan to review the data/trends related to educational outcomes and socioeconomic status disaggregated by race and ethnicity. After highlighting the persistence of gaps in educational attainment, I would like to help find resources needed for success and/or remove barriers for students and faculty. I also want to ensure Harper College remains a key pathway for economic opportunity and social mobility for its students. I want to have open dialogues with faculty and staff on improving educational opportunities for all students, especially students of color, and other historically underrepresented groups. Lastly, taking part in community engagement and creating partnerships is important to advancing the work of EDI at Harper and community.
What’s your secret for balancing advocacy and self-care?
While I do not have a secret for balancing advocacy and self-care, I know when to take a break and when to make time for myself. Before work, I walk a mile and try to get in some kind of workout. I also schedule my lunch hour on my work calendar and walk 2-3 miles (at least three times a week). Research shows, people who exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional wellbeing. It also gets me through the day!
How about one of your goals as an ICCDC leader?
My predecessor worked extremely hard as ICCDCs treasurer. It is my hope that I can build on her successes by continuing to be a good steward of the funds.
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Secretary
Nicole DelMastro-Jeffery
Executive Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging & Title IX Coordinator
Richland Community College
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What drew you to DEI work?
This is my life’s work. I am a transplant from Southern California, but when I arrived here in Central Illinois I experienced culture shock. This made my experience as a returning student extremely difficult. Fortunately, along the way I met a solid group of supporters who helped me grow more comfortable in my new geographical location. Now that I have found my way, I strive to give back to the communities who have poured into me.
We see your title, but what are your priorities on campus?
My job is to ensure access, retention/persistence, and completion on our college campus. With this I strive to use data as a driving force to rectify inequities. As such, it is my responsibility to all stakeholders to guide difficult conversations about improving processes to ensure equity is embedded throughout the entirety of our campus. This includes, but is not limited to, hiring practices, student engagement, faculty training, and measuring campus climate.
What’s your secret for balancing advocacy and self-care?
It is not entirely a secret, but I strive to keep a level head about the realities of the world we live in. Truthfully, this is tough work and it can be challenging to get people to agree on equity initiatives. At the end of the day I am aware that my work and the ways in which resources and capital can be leveraged is vital to the future of our community and longevity of our state. Whenever I need to take a break I remind myself this is a marathon not a sprint and then I go watch some ridiculously funny television series.
How about one of your goals as an ICCDC leader?
My goal as an ICCDC leader is to support the mission of our work. As such, I aim to help our team build tighter ties to DEI work across the entirety of Illinois and the agencies we partner with.
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Past President
Dr. Anthony Ramos
Vice President of Talent and Culture /
Chief Diversity Officer
Waubonsee Community College
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What drew you to DEI work?
My graduate work in higher education was the foundation for this work, where at Loyola, Professionalism in Service of Social Justice, was the framework within the school of education. My first two professional positions were at Jesuit universities where diversity and social justice were themes connected to positions I held in residence life and academic advising. Additionally, my participation in the ACPA Tools for Social Justice Conference opening my eyes to the significance of this work in higher education and helped me to see that I needed more education to increase my fluency in this work. While working at Loyola I returned to school to complete a second masters, this time in Sociology. Being able to understand sociological theory and apply it to higher education has been critical in my DEI work. When I transitioned to working in community colleges, I took various opportunities to increase my knowledge, skills, and awareness in connecting DEI work in new student programs, academic advising, adjunct faculty support, as well as during my one year as an interim academic division dean. I also entered the classroom as an adjunct in sociology, preparing students to think critically of their social environment bridging DEI perspectives into their lives as students and their hopes and dreams for the future.
We see your title, but what are your priorities on campus?
I have broad responsibilities in this inaugural role as the CDO. Several areas of focus include student success initiatives, training and development, employee recruitment and retention, and policy and practice review. Specific to student success I am looking at supporting our student success teams and reviewing data to inform practices as it relates to student recruitment and onboarding, as well as continued success along various metrics while reducing equity gaps.
What’s your secret for balancing advocacy and self-care?
Family is my foundation. I try to ensure that there is sufficient time with family to allow us to destress and find time to engage outside of work and school. My other practice in self care is listening to music as a way to connect to a former life as a DJ.
How about one of your goals as an ICCDC leader?
I’m interested in exploring how we support DEI leaders across the system, recognizing the challenges of the work as well as limited capacity for the magnitude of change that is needed/expected to support living out the mission of community colleges. This may lead to specific data analyzation and strategy development across our institutions, and empowering our collective voice to influence our institutions.
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