Rame Hanna has been named Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Their tenure will begin March 1, 2022.
Hanna, who uses they/them pronouns, comes to UCCS from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where they have served as Director of Diversity and Inclusive Excellence since 2019. In that role, they were responsible for guiding and leading institution-wide efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
As UCCS’ inaugural Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Hanna will be a critical part of strengthening the university’s culture of inclusivity and belonging.
Guided by principles of inclusive excellence and social justice, Hanna seeks to foster an inclusive campus climate that embraces intersectional identities, promotes diverse critical knowledge and centers the lived experiences of marginalized communities to ensure that all belong and can thrive.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rame to the UCCS community,” said Venkat Reddy, Chancellor of UCCS. “Throughout their career, Rame has worked to develop interconnected communities that uphold commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. This work has never been more important, and I am looking forward to seeing the impact Rame will make at UCCS.”
Hanna has dedicated their professional life towards centering diversity as a critical lens in pursuit of academic and institutional excellence. As a cultural change agent and social scientist, their education focuses on the intersections of access and equity, inclusive leadership and organizational change within higher education.
“I am so delighted to become part of the Mountain Lion community and look forward to the many partnerships and collaborations that uplift, empower, and inspire community agency and compassion toward a greater culture inclusion and belonging at UCCS,” Hanna said.
In addition to their role at WPI, Hanna served as chair of WPI’s Council on Institutional Diversity, developed and launched their Bias Response Program and led WPI’s Project Inclusion initiative toward the formation of their current DEI Strategic Framework and Sustainable Inclusive Excellence Action Plan. These efforts have not only led to WPI receiving a national honor for placing in the top 2 percent of higher education schools in the U.S. leading in DEI initiatives and practices in 2020 and 2021, but also continues to guide critical strategic diversity efforts that cultivate and promote inclusive learning and work environment at WPI and within STEM.
Prior to WPI, Hanna served as the inaugural Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator at Olin College of Engineering, overseeing the Office of Institutional Equity and Social Justice. In this role, Hanna led the college’s efforts to vision and design a campus climate of inclusion and belonging through intentional programs and campus-wide initiatives. As founder and chair of the Council on Institutional Diversity, they worked collaboratively with campus partners to develop strategic initiatives focused on the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students, the development of an inclusive campus culture, and facilitated numerous intersectional educational opportunities and workshops on identity development, systemic and structural change, and anti-racism.
A number of UCCS faculty, staff, students, alumni and community served on the search committee with search firm WittKeiffer. These individuals include:
- Lynn Vidler (chair), Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
- Carlos García, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
- Stephany Rose Spaulding, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Antonio Farias, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, CU Denver
- Josh Dunn, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual
- Heather Albanesi, Associate Professor and Interim Director of the Women’s and Ethnic Studies program
- Mary Hanson, Instructor of Teaching and Learning
- Sang-Yoon Chang, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
- Amanda Allee, Dean of Students
- Jesse Perez, Interim Director of the Excel Languages Center
- Miles Jones, Senator of Multicultural Affairs for the Student Government Association
- Danielle Summerville, Community Diversity and Outreach Programs Manager for the City of Colorado Springs
- Claire Ami, Business Services Professional for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Ex-officio, Nate Byford, Director HR Operations
Elizabeth Wyatt and Racquel Paywa provided administrative support to the search.