Diversity Executive Director Hired at CSM

Dr. Carmen Phelps has been hired by the College of Southern Maryland as the new executive director of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

Dr. Phelps is taking the position at a potentially fruitful time, she said. Diversity issues are currently center stage in the discourse of the nation, a few examples being the conflict with white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, questions about Title IX’s future, decisions about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and its effect on undocumented immigrants as well as the issue of transgender people who serve in the military.

“You have this natural climate that substantiates the need for more conversation,” Dr. Phelps said, calling it a “potentially transitional moment” in history.

“I see this office as playing an integral role in how this institution imagines itself in that transition,” she said.

Dr. Phelps describes her position as an “ambassador for diversity, inclusion, equity, and access for the benefit of the college and surrounding community.” She said she is looking forward to working with the faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders who will help to ensure that the college’s “commitment to these ideals resonate through our collective work.”

Dr. Phelps has served in similar positions at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona; Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio; and Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. She also has experience as a writing instructor at American University and as an instructor of African-American literature at George Washington University, both in Washington, DC.

“Dr. Carmen Phelps brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to CSM’s diversity office at a critical time,” said CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy. “CSM seeks to be an institution where diverse thoughts, values, and people are heard and respected. Dr. Phelps will be working to ensure that CSM is a safe place to explore ideas and challenge assumptions, while not tolerating words or actions that diminish others. It is through embracing diversity and working together with respect and integrity that we can fulfill our mission and enhance the quality of life in Southern Maryland.”

Dr. Phelps will oversee the Diversity Institute, which focuses on community partnerships, and programs like the Men of Excellence, providing support for African-American male-identified students on campus. Dr. Phelps will also oversee the Charles County Mediation Center, which is located at CSM’s La Plata Campus, and will serve as the Title IX coordinator for CSM, which deals with gender-related discrimination issues. In addition, Dr. Phelps will work on strategic planning related to diversity issues for the college and will work to schedule programming, events and dialogues that are designed to create and maintain a supportive environment at CSM.

CSM’s Institutional Equity and Diversity Office sponsors various events that support the college’s commitment to diversity, which includes programs, workshops, dialogues, training sessions meant to encourage cultural competency and awareness as well as advocacy and community-building.

Dr. Phelps hopes the impact of her office will extend from the college to the surrounding community. To that end, she has begun planning a series of conversations with community members in November to learn more about Southern Maryland and the region’s issues.

“It’s my intention to be as accessible and ubiquitous as possible,” she said.

Dr. Phelps notes that all people are not at the same place on diversity issues and some people feel threatened by these discussions. She said she believes her job will be to “meet people where they are,” she said. “We need to honor that and find the intersecting points of interest to help all of us do better in some way.”

“We’re all connected. We’re all in this together,” Phelps said.

For information on CSM’s Institutional Equity and Diversity Office, visit the office online.

To contact Dr. Phelps, email [email protected].

For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.