Dear Kent State University Students, Faculty and Staff,
Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is happy to announce two new members to the division. N.J. Akbar, Ph.D., will join the division as the new associate vice president, and Katie Mattise will join as the new director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Dr. Akbar has been assistant dean of University College for the past five years. In this role, he oversaw the TRIO McNair Scholars Program, TRIO Student Support Services and Academic Diversity Outreach offices. Dr. Akbar has been at Kent State for more than 11 years serving in many roles, beginning in 2009 as assistant director of Student Success Programs, interim director of the LGBTQ+ Center and director of Diversity Outreach and Development in the College of Education, Health and Human Services prior to his role as assistant dean.
A few of Dr. Akbar’s many university-wide contributions are institutionalizing the Provost Leadership Academy and the Male Empowerment Network, expanding Linked Courses, establishing the ADO network, acquiring the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and Great Lakes completion grants, and leading the renewal of the McNair Scholars and Student Support Services grants. He holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education from Kent State, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in History and English for Secondary Education, both from Eastern Michigan University.
Katie Mattise (who uses they/them pronouns) joined Kent State in 2016, first serving as program coordinator and later as assistant director of the LGBTQ+ Center. Through this position, Katie worked across Kent State to educate, advocate and be a resource to the LGBTQ+ community. Prior to Kent State, they worked at various universities in residence life.
Katie earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in English Literature and a Master of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education from Syracuse University. Katie’s passion lies in social justice, and they are looking forward to continuing to collaborate with Kent State stakeholders, on and off campus.
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is excited to welcome both Dr. Akbar and Katie to our team. With their combined experience, we look forward to working with the university at large to expand our diversity efforts and ensure Kent State is an inclusive environment for all.
For more information about Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, visit www.kent.edu/diversity.
Sincerely,
Amoaba Gooden, Ph.D.
Interim Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Chair, Department of Pan-African Studies