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Kameron Kadooka standing in front of shrubbery.

Kameron Kadooka is named interim director for Equity, Access and Inclusion

By Tamara Cissna

Kameron Kadooka, interim director for Equity, Access and Inclusion

The College of Science is pleased to announce that Kameron Kadooka, coordinator for OSU’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program (LSAMP), will serve as the interim director for Equity, Access and Inclusion (EAI) for the College of Science.

“This is incredibly important work,” said Kadooka, who joined the College at its Diversity Action Plan (DAP) rollout event for faculty and staff today. “The DAP has been built very intentionally and will allow the College of Science to be more inclusive and equitable for all students. I’m excited to help get it off the ground up and running.”

Kadooka will continue as LSAMP program coordinator, taking on the interim directorship in the College of Science on a part-time basis for up to six months while the College conducts an open, external search for a permanent EAI director.

“In my current role with LSAMP, I spend a lot of time helping individual students navigate roadblocks and barriers,” he said. “This plan allows for the removal of those roadblocks on a scalable, sustainable and systemic level. I'm looking forward to working from the other side now to help remove some of those barriers and roadblocks so students don't have to navigate around them.”

Andy Karplus, university distinguished professor of biochemistry and biophysics, will work with Kadooka as a part-time associate director until a full-time director is hired. “I am so pleased to work under Kameron’s leadership and to learn from and collaborate with him and others to get the DAP agenda launched and make headway and build momentum that will both help attract a long-term director and set them up for success.

“I am excited to be able to help the College start implementing the plan with an intent to actually make real progress in becoming a place in which every student and staff member feels like they belong and are valued and supported in their journey,” Karplus said.

Andy Karplus in front of Memorial Union

Andy Karplus, interim associate director for Equity, Access and Inclusion

Embedding Equity, Access and Inclusion,” the 2021-2024 Strategic Diversity Action Plan for the College of Science, officially rolled out today. The plan, whose development was initiated by Dean Haggerty in 2020, aims to improve outcomes for underrepresented students, faculty and staff. It provides a clear vision, mission and strategy to strengthen and advance inclusive excellence and equity-focused changes in the College.

Implementation begins with Goal 1.1: “Create a College of Science Equity, Access and Inclusion Program.” This includes establishing a director of EAI who will support the coordination and implementation of the actions in support of the five goals of the DAP.

“With Kameron’s wealth of knowledge and professional experience advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at the university, I’m confident he will provide the leadership necessary to move the plan forward. He will work in close concert with Andy Karplus, a highly respected and effective leader in the College who is eager to make a tangible difference in EAI outcomes,” said Haggerty.

Kadooka and Karplus will initiate the DAP implementation with an EAI Leadership Council, which is charged to lead, facilitate and monitor the implementation of “Embedding Equity, Access and Inclusion” in all the units in the College of Science and report annually on progress to the College leadership. A subcommittee on gender equity will help ensure that people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities, and another subcommittee on equity data will keep track of where the College is and the progress it makes in the future.

“The diversity action plan is set up to be a plan for everyone. This is an all-hands-on-deck endeavor. Everyone has a part to play, and everyone will be a part of the change that happens,” Kadooka said.


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