AAAA Press Room

GREGORY T. CHAMBERS AAAA PRESIDENT
EEO/AA and Diversity Manager
Delaware River and Bay Authority
P.O. Box 71
New Castle, DE 19720
Telephone: (302) 571-6387
Fax: (302) 571-6420
president@affirmativeaction.org

Gregory T. Chambers was elected president of AAAA in 2010. He was the EEO/AA Manager for the State of Delaware for 24 years. Gregory retired from his State of Delaware EEO position after being offered an EEO Manager position with the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA). The Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) was created by Compact in 1962. It is charged with providing vital transportation links between the two states as well as economic development in Delaware and the four southern counties of New Jersey. The DRBA Executive Director selected Gregory to use his proven skills and abilities to address the organization’s pressing EEO/AA needs and concerns. He has worked for DRBA since 2009.

He has been in public service for 39 years, having spent 13 of those years in a variety of capacities with the City of Wilmington, most notably director of community affairs in the Office of the Mayor. Gregory is a graduate of Wilmington University with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Behavioral Science. He is a Certified Conflict Partnership Catalyst (CPC) trained in facilitating resolution to differences and preserving relationships at work and in the community. Gregory is a 24-year member of the American Association for Affirmative Action serving as state coordinator, regional director and now president. He founded and formerly chaired the Delaware Work Force Diversity Group (DWFDG). Established in 1989, DWFDG is a mechanism for networking and sharing information on equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity in the workplace for public and private sector employers. In November 2011, he received the NAACP’s Lifetime Award for Affirmative Action and Diversity Work.

JONI BAKER, PH.D. AAAA FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT
Director, Equal Opportunity and Diversity
The Texas A&M University System
200 Technology Way # 1281
College Station, TX 77845-3424
Business 979-458-6203
Fax 979-845-6206
vicepresident1@affirmativeaction.org

Dr. Joni Baker is currently Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity for The Texas A& M University System, a consortium of 11 universities, seven state agencies, and a comprehensive health science center. She has been with the A&M System since September 1995. From 1984 to 1995, Joni was a Diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, serving at embassies in Africa and Asia.

Joni is a graduate of American University (B.S.), Georgetown University (M.A.), and Texas A&M University (Ph.D.). She has traveled throughout 49 countries and speaks four languages in addition to English (French, Swahili, Chinese, and Spanish). Joni is the National Secretary and 1st Vice President-Elect of the American Association for Affirmative Action. She is also a member of the Texas Association of Mediators, the Association for Conflict Resolution, and the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

MYRON R. ANDERSON, PH.D.AAAA SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT Myron R. Anderson, Ph.D.
Interim, Associate to the President for Diversity
Assistant Professor, Education Technology
Metro State College of Denver
Central Classroom Room 315
Campus Box 1, PO Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
Ph: (303) 556-3022
Fax: (303) 556-3912
nominations@affirmativeaction.org

Dr. Myron Anderson serves Metropolitan State College of Denver as the associate to the president for diversity. A member of the president’s cabinet, Anderson is the College’s chief diversity officer responsible for articulating and resolving current and future issues related to diversity. He is responsible for investigating complaints and mediating fair settlements between aggrieved faculty, staff and students throughout the institution. In addition, Anderson identifies campus climate trends that may assist in developing strategies to pro-actively promote “inclusive excellence.”
Since he assumed his position in 2007, Metro State has seen its enrollment of students of color increase by more than a third, making up 28 percent of the student body in fall 2010.
Dr. Anderson has worked in higher education for more than 20 years, in both administrative and academic positions. He also carries the rank of associate professor of education technology. Prior to his current position, he was the associate chair of the teacher education department at Metro State, and a faculty member and administrator at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). His areas of expertise are instructional technology, distance education and inclusive excellence.
He is the past co-advisor of the Student National Education Association Scholarship Committee and has been involved in national workshops to discuss and develop strategies and solve problems around diversity. He currently serves as a board member for the national organization, the American Association for Affirmative Action AAAA, as the Elections Chair.
Anderson earned a Ph.D. in instructional technology from Virginia Tech.

CARMEN SUAREZ, PH.D. AAAA BOARD SECRETARY
Director, Office of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion
University of Idaho
PO Box 443160
Moscow, ID 83844-3160
Office: 208-885-4285
Fax: 208-885-5050
secretary@affirmativeaction.org

Carmen Suarez, Ph.D., is the Director of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion at the University of Idaho. She develops and implements various diversity, bias prevention, sexual harassment and faculty/staff professional development training programs, initiates underrepresented faculty/staff strategic recruitment and retention plans, investigates and resolves complaints, monitors various dimensions of institutional equity and serves as Title IX and ADA Coordinator and Affirmative Action Officer for the institution.

Carmen has worked in AA/EEO compliance, university enrollment management, law school career services administration, private sector management and human resources and public services program implementation. She began her career in graduate admissions, worked for several years assisting migrant farm workers, directed a comprehensive university minority student recruitment and retention program, served as a university affirmative action officer, managed a private sector company’s human resources and developed and implemented the company’s minority-owned business certification, researched and submitted business proposals and pursued government procurement opportunities.

She has conducted numerous training programs on topics such as minority student higher education access, various diversity and managing diversity topics, sexual harassment, Latino and African American relations, bias prevention, gender communications, career development and employment hiring practices.

MELVIN WILLIAMS AAAA TREASURER
15 Cadena Dr.
Galveston, Texas 77554
409.741.1100
treasurer@affirmativeaction.org

Melvin Williams is an experienced, charismatic leader with 20+ years experience in higher education administration and 10 years experience in public sector leadership roles in city and state governments. Mr. Williams brings a national and international perspective through his Peace Corps experience which gave him the opportunity to study and learn how other cultures view politics, health, leisure activities, work, etc. He was invited to participate in the Oxford (England) Roundtable which provided him the opportunity to learn a world view on employment, equal opportunity, affirmative action and employment law.

Mr. Williams began his career in higher education administration with the University of Kansas Medical Center (KMUC) where he held positions as: Director of Affirmative Action, Health Careers Pathways Program; Director NIH Biomedical Research Apprenticeship Program; and Assistant Hospital Administrator. Recruited to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) for the position of Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Mr. Williams expanded the responsibilities into the Office of Diversity and International Affairs. The Office is responsible for the diversity/equal opportunity functions of the university along with ensuring the legal status of the international scholars, residents and visitors to UTMB. Mr. Williams initiated the annual Hector P. Garcia celebration which recognizes a Texas Legend who was a Hispanic graduate of UTMB School of Medicine and the Herman Barnett Gala in honor of the first African American to matriculate and graduate from UTMB School of Medicine or any other Texas School of Medicine.

Mr. Williams holds a Master of Arts degree in Sociology, which he earned along with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Industrial Technology from Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS.

RENEÉ S. DUNMAN, ESQ. AAAA MEMBER AT LARGE
Assistant Vice-President, Office of
Institutional Equity & Diversity
Old Dominion University
121A William B Spong Hall
Norfolk, VA 23529
Office: 757-683-3141
Fax 757-683-5844
Memberatlarge1@affirmativeaction.org

ReNeé S. Dunman, Esq., has blended her leadership and management skills with a comprehensive knowledge of employment law, which has developed into a professional reputation respected by academe and industry throughout the nation.

Ms. Dunman graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1985. In 1987, she received her Master’s degree in Communications from Norfolk State University and in 1993 she received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law where her focus of study was employment law.

She is presently serving as the Assistant Vice President, Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, Old Dominion University where she is responsible for advising the President, monitoring and coordinating all equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity efforts of the University. She was also President of the American Association for Affirmative Action and Immediate Past President. Based in Washington, D.C., AAAA is a national professional organization for equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity practitioners with over 900 members.

Ms. Dunman is the immediate past Chair of the Hampton Roads Industry Liaison Group.
Currently, she is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She is a highly sought trainer and consultant having conducted sessions for national and international clients in business, government, military, industry and higher education. She has been interviewed by the media on related topics and has made appearances on the international, national, state and regional level including the British Broadcasting Network, CNN, Court TV, Time Magazine, Inside Higher Ed, Diversity, Inc., and Diverse Issues.

Her personal motto is “Making a Difference - One Individual at a Time”.

SHIRLEY J. WILCHER, J.D., CAAP AAAA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Suite 800
888 16th Street NW
Washington DC 20006
Business 800-252-8952
Or 202-349-9855 Ext. 1857
Fax 202-355-1399
execdir@affirmativeaction.org

Shirley J. Wilcher, J.D., CAAP, is an authority on equal opportunity and diversity policy. Ms. Wilcher is currently Executive Director of the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA). She is also President of Wilcher Global, LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in diversity management, affirmative action, contract compliance, and government relations. During the Clinton Administration, Ms. Wilcher served a seven-year term as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), in the Employment Standards Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Her more than twenty years of experience include service as civil rights counsel with the Education and Labor Committee, US House of Representatives; Director for State Relations and General Counsel with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and staff attorney with the National Women’s Law Center. Ms. Wilcher is an honors graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts; holds a Master of Arts Degree from the New School for Social Research in New York, NY; and a Juris Doctor from the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Among her credentials is a Certified Affirmative Action Professional (CAAP) certificate from the American Association for Affirmative Action.