New Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was hired

By Elena Rowe//

The Student Engagement Office filled the position for the assistant director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on Friday, Feb. 12. Alex Rago(she/they) will take over this role on March 15, after previously working as the area coordinator for Student Housing at Allegany College of Maryland.

 The assistant director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position was vacant for nearly a year, following the resignation of Travis Eichelberger in December 2019.

Sarah Tansits, interim director of Student Engagement and Orientation conducted the interviews.

According to the job description that was posted on the Hood website, the main goals of this position are to provide support for student organizations, manage special programs and projects and implement leadership development, activities and programs. The job description also states the focus of this role will be to create dialogue among people of diverse backgrounds, build intercultural connections and deliver educational programs that highlight and celebrate Hood’s diverse community.

“This position is very student focused, so I asked students to be on the search committee, because their voice is more important than anyone’s,” Tansits said. “We also did a virtual campus tour, conducted by students which I think was one of the most important pieces, especially in a pandemic.”

Many Hood administrators were involved in the hiring process, including President Andrea Chapdelaine, Provost Debbie Ricker, former Dean of Students Olivia White and current Dean of Students Ron Wiafe. Meetings with the potential candidates were also held with the Diversity Coalition members and advisors.

When looking for the person to fill this role, Tansits explained she was not only looking for a person who is student focused, but also someone that had ideas about diversity, equity and inclusion, and how to implement those into student engagement at Hood. She said she was also looking for someone that was resourceful, caring and has an energetic personality.

“I am very excited,” Tansits said. “We have a great person and I hope everyone gets to know Alex very soon.”