Nick Wright Leads Inclusive Excellence through Mission, Authenticity, and Community

When Nick Wright, Ph.D., first accepted an interview with Gonzaga University, he had a simple question: Where is Gonzaga? 

Growing up and building his career in Kentucky, Wright knew little about Spokane or Gonzaga. When he looked at a map and saw the university was across the country, he admits he approached the opportunity with some uncertainty.

"I had a little trepidation about coming to a religious school," Wright says. "Where I'm from, religious institutions are often much more conservative."

But those concerns quickly faded. "When I got here, everything seemed to align with my values."

What Wright found was a community that welcomed him warmly and embraced him fully. One of his earliest memories was walking into the Hemmingson Center and seeing symbols of support for both Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ communities.

"These visual symbols told me this was a place where I could belong and where this work could thrive," he says.

Doing The Work

Today, Wright serves as Gonzaga's leader of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, bringing with him years of experience, a passion for helping others, and a deep belief that the work of inclusion is fundamentally connected to the university's Jesuit mission.

In fact, he rejects the notion that his work is primarily about compliance, policy, or check the box diversity initiatives. "I'm not just doing impactful DEI work," he says. "I'm doing Mission-centered work."

That perspective shapes nearly every aspect of his leadership in his role as Gonzaga’s assistant vice president of diversity.

Inside his office sits a whiteboard covered with tasks and projects. As he completes them, he erases each one. But one question remains permanently written on the board:

"Where is the Gonzaga mission not lived out on campus?" It serves as both a reminder and a challenge.

For Wright, inclusive excellence is not a separate institutional priority, it is the practice of ensuring Gonzaga's Mission is lived fully and reaches every member of our community.

That philosophy centers on creating environments where students, faculty and staff feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives.

"Each individual knows their own hopes and goals," Wright says. "Our responsibility as a university is to foster an environment of belonging and to create a culture where people have the support to pursue their goals."

He believes that culture must encourage both curiosity and courage, allowing students to ask difficult questions, engage across differences, and grow as people.

Nicholas Wright, assistant vice president of diversity, at UMEC's year-end celebration.

Building An Inclusive Culture 

As Gonzaga's Office of Inclusive Excellence continues its work, Wright emphasizes that the core responsibilities often associated with a Chief Diversity Officer are continuously being fulfilled. Yet his focus increasingly centers on something less tangible but perhaps more important: culture and the lived experience of belonging.

"Culture is going to eat policy for breakfast," he says. Policies can establish expectations, he explains, but culture determines how people experience an institution day to day.

"I truly believe that each of us are stronger together," he says.

One area he hopes to strengthen is collaboration across campus. While Gonzaga has many people doing meaningful work, Wright believes there is opportunity to break down silos and create even deeper connections among departments, offices, and individuals.

Names, titles, and organizational charts matter far less than collective impact, he says.

"What matters is how we're helping all students, staff, and faculty across campus."

That mindset reflects another lesson that has guided Dr. Wright throughout his career: the importance of lifelong learning. He approaches the work with humility, acknowledging there is always more to learn and more opportunities to grow.

The future he envisions for inclusive excellence at Gonzaga is rooted in that spirit of continuous improvement and shared responsibility.

Rather than seeing inclusion as the responsibility of a single office, Wright hopes every member of the Gonzaga community embraces the work as part of who they are and how they engage with others.

Ultimately, his goal is straightforward. He wants to facilitate a culture of belonging throughout Gonzaga where all people can thrive.

A place where students have the courage to be themselves. Where employees feel supported and connected. Where differences are valued rather than feared. And where the university's Mission is not simply written in strategic plans and statements, but lived every day in classrooms, offices, residence halls, and relationships.

For Wright, that's what inclusive excellence looks like.

And it's why, a year after wondering where Gonzaga was on a map, he knows he found exactly where he belongs.