Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, associate vice provost for strategic affairs and diversity at Virginia Tech, will join the University on July 1 as Rochester’s first vice president for equity and inclusion.
She will lead the new Office of Equity and Inclusion and work closely with deans and other senior leaders and campus constituencies to create, implement, and lead an institution-wide diversity strategic plan that includes recruitment, training, communication, policy, and metrics. Working with campus diversity leaders, the vice president will integrate this strategy with federally mandated anti-discrimination compliance, and will also identify and pursue opportunities to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment, including promoting the University’s Vision, Values, and Culture of Respect.