USFSM Names New Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook has named Corey L. Posey to the newly created position of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.

Posey has spent 19 years in higher education, most recently as director of the Office of Student Life at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland, since 2017. He began his duties at USFSM on July 8.

In his new role at USFSM, Posey will provide guidance and collaboration for initiatives, programs and trainings for the campus and Sarasota-Manatee community in order to promote a culture of inclusion and equity as it relates to diversity issues. He will work collaboratively with the USF System Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity to share best practices and leverage resources.

The position grew from the work of both the Community Diversity Advisory Council and the USFSM Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, chaired by Phil Wagner, PhD, assistant regional vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and a communications studies faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

“We are delighted to welcome Corey to the USFSM family, and I want to thank Dr. Wagner and the Advisory Council for their outstanding work over the past couple of years, including advocating for this position for our campus and our community,” Dr. Holbrook said. “I can’t overstate how important his role will be in managing and coordinating our diversity- and inclusion-related initiatives, activities and opportunities for students, faculty and staff, and developing and sustaining diversity-related initiatives with our community partners.”

A native of East Orange, N.J., Posey is a PhD student at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he is completing a doctorate in higher education. He holds a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University; a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland; and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Salisbury University, in Salisbury, Maryland.

“I have had the opportunity to serve at a number of institutions, both public and private, and have been fortunate to play a lead role in the development of many diversity, equity and inclusion programs,” Posey said. “What I like about USFSM is that we are building a diversity and inclusion system that is reflective of Sarasota and Manatee counties and focused on how we can be a valuable partner for the businesses, community organizations and school districts we serve. Having the ability to build this position from the ground up is what really made it attractive.

“We need to challenge ourselves to look at diversity and inclusion beyond black and white and to recognize the intersectionality that every person brings to the landscape. You have identities; I have identities; everyone on this campus and in the community has identities. So how do you bring those together and build a robust system that encompasses all of that? That’s what I plan to do at USFSM.”

Prior to his most recent role at Chesapeake College, Posey held a variety of leadership positions in higher education. He served as community partnership manager at Ohio University, program consultant for the Ohio Department of Education, director of the Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs at Berry College, assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement and residence hall director at Otterbein University, and assistant director of multicultural affairs at Capital University.

He has presented and co-presented at numerous workshops on a variety of topics. In May 2019, he delivered a presentation at the 25th National Conference on Diversity, Race & Learning at The Ohio State University, titled “Cultures of Poverty & Isolation: Identifying & Minimizing Micro-Aggressions That Impact the Poor & Students of Color.” He also delivered a presentation titled “Investigate, Articulate and Educate: Becoming Change Agents on Campus” at the Great Lakes Colleges Association in November 2013.