The Untapped Talents of Senior Diversity Officers

Opportunities for senior diversity officers, or SDOs, have proliferated over the last five years. Some of this growth was tied to the racial reckoning of 2020. Both during and following this dramatic opportunity for Americans to view and discuss systemic racism and inequality, colleges and universities made public statements, affirmed their commitment to antiracism and promised sweeping change and investment.

Now, just three short years removed from those higher education declarations, some states, like North Dakota and Kansas, have introduced legislation to eliminate equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. Additionally, many institutions and organizations have muted their broad commitments to racial equity. In many situations, it is as if some of those conversations never happened.

As colleges and universities created these senior diversity officer positions, they often overlooked the need to have incisive and realistic conversations about exactly what the position should entail and to make a commitment to provide adequate resources to support a successful strategy around EDI programs. As with any senior leadership roles, institutional commitment in the form of resource allocation, positional elevation and appropriate support and oversight are critical to sustainability and productivity. Simply put, a full commitment to this work and to EDI positions requires that institutions provide the necessary support for long-term success. Otherwise the people holding these positions will experience significant burnout and will not last over the long haul.

We have seen some institutions advertise senior diversity officer positions multiple times—sometimes only a year after the first one was hired. Candidates for many of these positions, as well as other diversity roles, are recruited through executive search firms. Just as colleges and universities have espoused their commitment to EDI, and sometimes antiracism, so, too, have search firms. If colleges, universities and search firms have proclaimed their commitments to EDI and antiracism, then it is fair to review their actions to both celebrate their progress as well as critique the shortcomings.

As senior diversity officials ourselves and leaders of the primary association that represents them, we are inundated with emails from search firms about appointments for senior diversity officers and other diversity roles. Sometimes we recommend individuals we know who might be a good fit for a role. Other times we might recommend people for whom such positions would be a promotion. Still other times we might recommend colleagues who are struggling in their current positions because of a lack of support at their institutions and other marginalizing experiences. And sometimes we ignore those messages, because we cannot identify individuals for a particular role, we have had negative experiences with the search firm or it is clear they are increasing the diversity of the applicant pool without taking professional experience into account.

After ignoring multiple emails from a particular search firm, one of us received the following message:

The tone of this message was eager and assertive. This experience and other interactions prompted us to wonder what might happen if campuses and search firms brought the same energy to supporting senior diversity officer roles—and to the work of EDI in general—that they bring to filling vacancies. Even further, we wondered, what if those firms and campuses also worked aggressively to promote long-tenured and successful top diversity officers for consideration to other senior institutional positions, such as president or provost?

Below, we outline several strategies to help implement practices that advance equity and antiracism—often, and in significant measure, by supporting senior diversity officers.

Begin the Work

Colleges and universities must have honest conversations about their readiness for antiracism initiatives, as well as their broader commitment to EDI. They must first advance a candid review of the institution’s culture and practices, which should include evaluating its level of preparedness for a new senior diversity role. Both campuses and search firms must be honest about what success looks like and the challenges faced, and then allocate resources accordingly.

If a previous incumbent in the role—or the initiatives they proposed—was unsuccessful, resulting in their departure, the university and the search firm must work to understand why, perhaps through a private exit interview process. It is important to establish the reason for the exit and to examine if the individual was pressured to leave because they raised concerns about racism on campus.

In addition, while sometimes issues with individual job performance occur, multiple turnovers in any given position often point to broader systemic issues like racism and a lack of support. Failure to be transparent about that and other challenges will create an environment in which candidates begin their new roles already facing significant challenges. While this can also be true for other administrative positions, it is especially critical for senior diversity officers, given their high attrition rates.

Campuses and search firms also must look inward to examine their own biases and to review their compositional diversity. Based on that assessment, they should actively implement an antiracism strategy. Senior diversity officers are well positioned to serve as consultants to search firms and campuses other than their own in such efforts. They can provide an honest assessment of what adjustments an institution needs to make to prepare for the recruitment of a senior diversity officer and how ready (or not) it is to ensure that person’s success.

Necessary Actions

We examined the websites of 70 search firms and reviewed their stated commitments to EDI and antiracism. Our review found that these organizations’ main role has been to diversify the applicant pool by developing a recruitment strategy with their clients that includes targeted job postings. Yet very few discussed educating the search committees about bias, equitable hiring processes and procedures. Instead, the focus was usually on the search firms’ clients. None of them mentioned how they work with and support prospective candidates of color.

Many senior diversity officers we know are ready to support both institutions and search firms by partnering to develop more equitable search processes, assisting colleges and universities with developing diverse talent on their campuses, and expanding the quality and diversity of search pools. Institutions and search firms should reach out to them, ask for their help and counsel, and compensate them for their work.

Finally, as campuses and search firms advance their commitments to EDI and antiracism, it is time for them also to actively champion and elevate senior diversity officers for consideration for president and provost positions. Search firms can offer those officers professional development to help prepare for such positions. Many of us are seasoned administrators with connections to our institutions’ core academic enterprises, and our work cuts across every facet of university life, including student affairs, human resources and operations. We bring a rich understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting the academy as well as the ability to develop and implement impactful strategies.

The suite of broad skills and expertise that senior diversity officers offer is increasingly valuable for all leaders in higher education, especially in creating inclusive and equitable learning environments. Now more than ever, the most successful individuals holding top positions at colleges and universities are those who can combine balanced approaches to leadership challenges with a commitment to equity.