Dr. Robin Kelley is a transformational equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) leader. For over 25 years, she has served as a senior higher education administrator as a Chief Diversity Officer at Gonzaga University; Associate Vice Provost of Equity and Equal Opportunity at North Carolina State University; Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity at Iowa State University; and Assistant Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Assistant Director of Employee Relations at the State University of New York at Buffalo, respectively.
Dr. Kelley's experience outside higher education includes independent consulting in DEI, EEO, recruitment, and leadership. She works with small- to mid-sized organizations and large national and international nonprofits.
In her current role, Dr. Kelley supports students through diversity training initiatives, the BIAS Team, and Title IX prevention; she supports faculty and staff diversity initiatives, including new employee experiences, new faculty orientation, and faculty pipeline initiatives such as the Underrepresented Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. She has led unconscious bias and harassment reduction workshops and taught university undergraduate and graduate courses on cultural competence and diversity, including:
LDRS 375 Leading Across Cultures
DNAP 754 Culture, Diversity, and Health Care Policy
PS 418 Gender Issues in Law and Policy
PHIL 235 (3) Ethical Issues in a Diverse Society
EEODF Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Fundamentals
AGEDS 615B Ethics
She has designed programs and courses that promote personal, professional, and leadership development through the lens of DEI and belonging while fostering student, faculty, and staff engagement and success. She is a trained Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and Cultural Competence (CQ) assessment. She has additional certifications and certificates, including trauma-informed practices, mediation, restorative justice, Equal Employment Opportunity, Title IX, and a certificate in diversity management from Cornell University ILR School.
She holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a B.S. in Economics and Finance from the State University of New York College at Buffalo.
Dr. Kelley has presented at several national and regional conferences, including the Association of American Colleges and Universities AAC&U), University of North Carolina System, the Triangle Society for Human resources Management (TSHRM), NAACP Kootenai County, Association for Title IX Administrations, and the American Council on Education’s Women’s Leadership Forum. Dr. Kelley is a trusted DEIB expert quoted in national and local publications, such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. She is civically engaged in many organizations dedicated to social justice and equity.