The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion announces the recent hire of Dr. Samuel T. Lopez as the Assistant Vice President for Diversity Initiatives. Dr. Lopez comes from Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was the Director of Multicultural Academic Services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to his appointment at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Lopez was a tenured professor of exercise science and the Director of the Educational Access Project at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
“We are very fortunate to have Dr. Lopez join the Diversity team” said David Fryson, Vice President for the DDEI. “His experience and commitment to diversity will assist us as we endeavor to embrace diversity within the academy in ever increasing ways.”
As the Assistant Vice President, Dr. Lopez will lead the Division’s efforts to create, coordinate, administer and evaluate programming that is inclusive and supportive in order to achieve a sustainable environment that will attract and retain diverse and underserved faculty, staff and students. His role will enable him to work with constituents across the University to provide assistance, consultation or assessment of diversity and inclusion efforts aligned with institutional strategic goals. “I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and I am excited to be a Mountaineer,” Dr. Lopez said.