Announcing José Villalba as Interim Chief Diversity Officer

by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. ('92, MA '94)

The following message was sent from the Office of the Provost

Dear Wake Forest Students, Faculty and Staff,

I am pleased to announce Professor José Villalba’s appointment as Interim Chief Diversity Officer.  Our continuing gratitude to Barbee Oakes, who inaugurated this position to superb effect at Wake Forest two years ago.

Dr. Villalba arrived at Wake Forest in 2011 as Associate Professor of Counseling; he has spent the past four years in the Office of the Dean of the College, most recently holding the title of Senior Associate Dean for Faculty, Evaluation, and Inclusivity.  In this role, Dr. Villalba participated in student-facing initiatives, worked with faculty and staff development efforts related to diversity and inclusion, was instrumental in faculty recruitment for the undergraduate College, and proved a key partner for offices and departments across the university. Dr. Villalba will remain in the Dean of the College’s office in an advisory role.

As Interim Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Villalba will continue to build on our strong foundation for enhancing inclusion and diversity at Wake Forest. His teaching and research expertise is highly relevant for this vital interim role, ranging across health disparities in Latina/o youth, multicultural counseling, and minority populations’ access to and completion of higher education.  He received his Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the University of Florida.

In my conversations with Dr. Villalba, he expressed his great enthusiasm for joining the talented team in our Office of Diversity and Inclusion as they continue to engage with an increasingly diverse and inclusive Wake Forest community.  He is also deeply committed to extend and strengthen partnerships with offices and individuals across the University in the service of seamless support systems for all members of our campus, especially those from historically marginalized groups.

Please join me in welcoming José Villalba as our Interim Chief Diversity Officer!

With appreciation,

Rogan Kersh
Provost and Professor of Politics and International Affairs

Contact

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