It’s incredibly exciting that we are hiring a new Chief Diversity Officer at Geneseo! It has been narrowed down to three candidates, and wow these people are incredibly qualified! I have gone through all of their resumes in order to help you guys get to know the three people who have a chance at becoming our newest Chief Diversity Officer. To be fair and unbiased in each candidate’s profiles, I am going to list all their degrees and where they’re from, their professional experience, and summarize the rest. I’m purposefully not listing the responsibilities and learning experiences they put under each job. All three candidates are overwhelmingly qualified, but I will leave it up to you to decide who you would like to leave good feedback for. The form is right here, and it closes April 2nd!
Candidate 1
Dr. Rodom Cedric King has a six page, front and back, resume which is incredibly impressive. I think I could live to be 107 and never have as long of a resume. This candidate obtained their education fairly locally. In 1999 they earned their B.A. in religion and philosophy from Roberts Wesleyan College. They moved on to get their M.A. in philosophy from University of Rochester in 2007 and then their Ph.D. in philosophy also from the University of Rochester in 2012. The employment section begins in 1995 where Dr. Rodom Cedric King worked as a psychiatric case manager at Strong Memorial Hospital for six years. Then in 2002 they became an instructor at the University of Rochester for a year before spending a year as an adjunct instructor at Roberts Wesleyan College. From 2005 to 2008 they taught at Roberts Wesleyan College as a full-time instructor in the Department of Philosophy at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Then in 2008 they switched to being an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at Hobart and William Smith Colleges until 2015. From 2015 until present, they have been the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Diversity Initiatives at Centre College.
This candidate has extensive community, committee, and professional service experience from the various institutions they’ve worked at. They also have several awards, honors, and fellowship memberships. This includes most recently a NAACP (Geneva, NY Chapter) Service Award in 2015 and the Hobart and William Smith Annual Faculty Teaching Award in 2014. Dr Rodom Cedric King has a few publications listed on their resume one from The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education in 2016 and one from Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: A Sourcebook in 2015. In addition, they listed seven works that they have in progress. They have been invited to give many presentations and have also given several conference presentations. While they have not been Safe Zone trained, they do have several other certifications listed including, but not limited to Green Dot, Undocupeer, and ABCs of Non-Discrimination, Access, and Equity in Higher Education.
Candidate 2
The second candidate, robbie rifka routenberg, purposefully does not capitalize their name due to their own personal beliefs, so I will not capitalize their name to respect that. It’s difficult to judge robbie rifka routenberg on the same level as one might judge the other candidates because for the past year they have been our Interim Chief Diversity Officer here at SUNY Geneseo. This means that many of us here know this candidate and have seen them in action which is an advantage the other candidates don’t have. I know that personally it’s hard to be unbiased toward robbie rifka routenberg because we have interacted often and are both Safe Zone trainers on campus. However, I will set aside my own beliefs and only report what is on this candidate’s resume.
They earned their B.A. in sociology with minors in psychology and cognitive science here at SUNY Geneseo in 2005. They went on to achieve their M.A. in higher education administration at the University of Michigan in 2007. From 2006 to 2011 they were the program manager of The Program on Intergroup Relations at the University of Michigan. In addition to that position, from 2009 to 2011 they were a consultant and lecturer for the Center for Global and Intercultural Studies at the University of Michigan. In 2011 they moved on to become the associate director of The Global Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. Then from 2014 until 2017 they switched positions to be a director and instructor for The Global Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. In 2012 they became a lead consultant and the co-founder of InciteChange! Consulting L.L.C. in Buffalo, NY, a position they still hold today. Finally in 2017 they became the Interim Chief of Diversity at SUNY Geneseo.
They served and continue to serve on many committees from both the University of Michigan and SUNY Geneseo. Additionally, they have been invited to facilitate many different times in varying settings. They have received several awards and accolades including, but not limited to membership in the Theta Nu Xi Sorority, Advisor of the Year in 2009 at the University of Michigan and the DR. James Allen Scholarship: For Exceptional Contributions to Student Life in 2005 at SUNY Geneseo. They also have seven publications that they’ve contributed to and a good amount of Civic Engagement experience.
Candidate 3
LaNeeça R. Williams received their Bachelor of Science degree in child development and family life from Indiana State University in December 1999. From there they went on to achieve their Masters of Science degree in family and consumer science with a specialization in education from Indiana State University in May of 2008. They also have completed 45 hours toward a doctorate degree in organizational development and leadership with an emphasis in industrial and organizational psychology. Starting in July of 1998 LaNeeça R. Williams was the Executive Director of the Minority Health Coalition of Virgo County, Inc. and held this position for six years. In June of 2004 they then became the Assistant Director of Diversity and Affirmative Action at Indiana State University before moving on to become the Interim Director of Diversity and Affirmative Action in 2006. For a year, starting in 2008 they were the Director of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity and Student Conduct for Colorado State University-Pueblo. After that year LaNeeça R. Williams became the Director of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity and Campus Diversity at Colorado State University-Pueblo. They stayed at Colorado State University-Pueblo from 2008-2013 when they went on to be the Chief Diversity Officer at University of Evansville from 2013 to the present.
This candidate has been on several university and community committees throughout the years. In addition, they have listed a proficiency in programs such as, but not limited to Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and PREZI. LaNeeça R. Williams has given quite a few presentations at various events mostly on topics that go hand-in-hand with diversity. They belong to a few honor societies and have completed many trainings and certifications including a Safe Zone training! Lastly, this candidate has a few awards, but more importantly an impressive list of volunteer experiences.
Anyone could clearly see that these three candidates are extremely qualified for this position. It’s paramount that we have a Chief Diversity Officer who will truly fight for the diverse communities on campus. Having someone in our corner to give us a voice at the administrative level would be instrumental in ensuring the safety and happiness of minorities on campus. Please participate in giving feedback on these candidates here by April 2nd. Don’t let your opinions on this issue go unheard. If you would like to see the full resumes for each candidate, they are available in Milne Library.
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