Diversity, Equity, & Belonging

Welcome to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging

Welcome to Ivy Tech Community College! During the 2023-2024 academic year, we served over 198,000 students and have over 6,500 employees – all within your local community. This means our students, faculty, and staff come from different life experiences, diverse backgrounds and everyone brings their own unique perspective.

Our office strives for transparency and creating an institutional culture where cultural and intellectual diversity is celebrated, equity is ingrained, and belonging is what we do. This year, we are excited about the new programs and policies we are implementing to continue pushing the institution to create better access and opportunity for everyone. Please join us with our Cultural Heritage Month Speaker Series, student campus climate assessment, town halls, and other opportunities to engage in dialogue.

To ensure transparency and accountability around issues related to cultural and intellectual diversity, we release annual reports, analyze and centralize data, and perform research for strategic and institutional improvement. We influence and shape the way we take action, the initiatives and programs we create, and the activities we support. We work to ensure that the issues faced within our diverse community’s influence and shape the way we act, the initiatives and programs we create, and the activities we support.

Whether you are the first person in your family to go to college or you come from a family with rich college traditions, Ivy Tech can clear a path for a better future and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging is here for you!

We are eager to meet our new students and for returning students, we are excited to reconnect with those of you who are returning to us! Please feel free to reach out to any member of our dedicated staff about the programs, services, and activities provided by our Office both statewide and at your local campus.

Meet our Team

Amber Williams
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Belonging
awilliams480@ivytech.edu

Dr. JoAnne Alvarez
Assistant Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Belonging
jalvarez21@ivytech.edu

Wendy Chinn
Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, & Belonging
wchinn2@ivytech.edu

DEB Statewide Committee

Campus	Name  and Email	Title
Anderson	Anitra N. Montgomery amontgomery145@ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
Bloomington	Debra Vance  dvance@ivytech.edu	Executive Director of Diversity & Outreach
Columbus	Olener Prince  oprince@ivytech.edu	Director of Student Success & Belonging
Evansville	Melinda Thomas mthomas518@ivytech.edu Christina Renock crenock@ivytech.edu	Assistant Director of Recruitment/Student Diversity Lead Assistant Director of Talent Acquisition and Diversity
Fort Wayne	Tracy Davis tdavis457@ivytech.edu	Vice Chancellor of Community Relations, DEB
Hamilton County	Vacant
Indianapolis	Amanda Bonilla abonilla28@ivytech.edu Dietchyne Aime daime1@ivytech.edu Jocelyn Euceda jeuceda@ivytech.edu	Vice Chancellor DEB Director for Diversity, Equity and Belonging Asst. Director for Diversity, Equity and Belonging
Kokomo	DeAndra Beard dbeard47@ivytech.edu	Director of Diversity & Inclusion
Lafayette	Dr. Markenya Williams mwilliams1168@ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
Lake County	Dr. MaNesha M. Stiff mstiff1@ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
Lawrenceburg	Kathy Watkins  kwatkins@ivytech.edu	Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, Program Chair, Diversity Lead
Madison	Han Hill hmahoney@ivytech.edu	Assessment Technician, Campus Diversity Lead
Marion	Treva Stith tstith2@ivytech.edu	Director of Adult Strategies and Diversity
Muncie	Dr. Ren'a Wagner  rwagner@ivytech.edu	Executive Director of DEB
Richmond	Toure Conley  tconley18@ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
Sellersburg	Toya Northington Tnorthington5@Ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
South Bend/Elkhart	Jennifer Pittman jpittman70@ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
Systems Office	Itza Reyes igutierrezreyes@ivytech.edu Qiana Clemens qclemens@ivytech.edu	Assistant Professor of Spanish, French & Student Success, Ivy Online Assistant Faculty Lead for Student Success & World Languages, Diversity Lead Vice Chancellor of Academic and Resource Development for Muncie Campus, Diversity Lead Systems Office Foundation
Terre Haute	Sonja LaTrice Jordan sjordan91@ivytech.edu	Director of DEB
Valparaiso	April M Gabbert agabbertstrang@ivytech.edu	Director of Student Life and Diversity

Policies

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Ivy Tech Community College prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or veteran status. Ivy Tech Community College is committed to providing equal opportunity in education and employment for all. Discrimination based on any protected class is prohibited.

As required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Ivy Tech Community College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, in its educational programs and activities, including employment and admissions. Questions specific to Title IX may be referred to the College’s Title IX Coordinator or to the US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY

TRANSGENDER POLICY

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY

The College employs qualified persons and provides equal opportunities for the advancement of employees. The College employs, promotes, transfers, reclassifies, and trains in a manner which will not discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or status as a veteran, per the College EEO/AA policies. The College is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination.

If you believe you have been discriminated against or harassed by a coworker, supervisor, or agent of the College, you should promptly report the facts of the occurrence and the names of the individuals involved to your supervisor, the Human Resources Administrator, or an Affirmative Action Officer. Your Supervisor, Human Resources Administrator, or Affirmative Action Officer will look into all reported occurrences and take the appropriate corrective action, if necessary.

TO FILE A COMPLAINT

A part of Ivy Tech Community College’ commitment to ethics and compliance is to provide students, faculty, and staff with a means to report any unethical behavior that is in violation of the College policy. The College has selected EthicsPoint to provide you with a simple, anonymous way to report activities that may involve misconduct or violations of College policy. You may file a report here or by dialing 888-355-0021. Any suspected problems or complaints reported via EthicsPoint will be reviewed in accordance with current policies and procedures.

College policy prohibits the taking of any retaliatory action against individuals who make a good faith disclosure of suspected financial or other misconduct, or violations of policy, etc.

ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

The College will not tolerate harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or status as a veteran, and/or opposition to prohibited discrimination or participation in this or any other complaint procedure. This prohibition covers harassment against any Ivy Tech employee by anyone (supervisors, co-workers, students, or non-employees) in or related to an Ivy Tech campus. The policy prohibiting harassment includes adverse treatment of employees because they report harassment or provide information related to such complaints.  

TRANSGENDER POLICY

This policy sets forth guidelines to address the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming employees. Ivy Tech Community College is committed to creating a safe work environment for transgender and gender non-conforming employees. This policy cannot anticipate every situation that might occur with respect to transgender or gender non-conforming employees as the needs of each transgender or gender non-conforming individual must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. In all cases, the goal is to ensure the safety, comfort, and healthy development of transgender or gender non-conforming employees while maximizing workplace integration and minimizing stigmatization of the individual. Employees who are considering or are in the process of transitioning to the gender they identify with, should consult with their Human Resources department for guidance and assistance with their transition in the workplace. Likewise, any transgender or gender non-conforming employee who believe they have been discriminated or retaliated against, for any reason, should contact their Human Resources department for assistance.

Failure on the part of the faculty member or supervisor to comply with this policy may result in adverse employment action being taken, up to and including termination of employment.

TITLE IX

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs that receive federal funding. When an institution learns of a possible violation of this federal law, the Campus Title IX Coordinator is obligated to investigate and address the concerns. Failure to do so could result in an institution losing its federal funding.

Pursuant to Title IX, a “responsible employee” includes college employees who have the authority to redress sexual misconduct, who have the duty to report incidents of sexual misconduct, or who a student could reasonably believe has this authority or duty. At Ivy Tech Community College, all employees are designated a “responsible employee.” Responsible Employees are required to report when they become aware of any instance of a student experiencing sexual misconduct (including harassment, stalking, interpersonal violence and assault).

Instances of sexual misconduct must be reported to the Campus or College Title IX Coordinator. The Incident Reporting forms as well as Title IX Coordinators for each campus can be found at www.ivytech.edu/prevent-sexual-violence.

See Ivy Tech Community College's Student Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy for more detailed information.
William R. Goins Spirit of Diversity Award

Ivy Tech Community College proudly presents the inaugural William R. Goins Spirit of Diversity Award. The award was created to recognize Ivy Tech faculty and staff whose service, inspired by William “Bill” Goins’ dedication to the advancement of diversity, goes above and beyond their regular duties and contributes to the development of a diverse, equitable campus community with a sense of belonging for all. The Spirit of Diversity honoree will also select an Ivy Tech department, student organization, employee affinity group, or campus foundation to receive a $2,500 grant to further the College’s diversity, equity, and belonging initiatives.

View past winners, upcoming event information, and nominees.
PepsiCo Scholarship

The PepsiCo Foundation Uplift Scholarship supports under-served students pursuing two-year degrees and professional certificates in fields like advanced manufacturing and information technology, providing dedicated success coaches, emergency grants, financial literacy courses, and financial assistance.

Learn More
Cultural Heritage Months
Cultural Heritage Months

As part of our program offerings to students, we are excited to launch a new Heritage Month Speaker Series in unity with national efforts to recognize national heritage months. Heritage months and special observances were designed for the purpose of providing a period of commemoration on the complexities and richness of heritages and to raise awareness on groups and identities reflective of our diverse societies and citizens. The goal of this series is three-fold:
1. To recognize and uplift diverse individuals and their contributions to the state of Indiana.
2. To raise awareness on the lived experiences of marginalized people who can connect with our students.
3. To further the colleges mission to "serve the people of our state through accessible and affordable world-class education and adaptive learning."
All series speakers are Indiana Hoosiers, chosen to reflect the high level of talent across the state working to promote positive change in our own back yards.

Heritage Month Library Guides

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging is partnering with Ivy Tech librarians from across the state to develop Library Guides as educational tools to learn more about National Heritage Months.

Learn more here