HAMBURG, N.Y. – After a national search, Diedre D. DeBose has been named director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Hilbert College, President Michael S. Brophy, Ph.D. announced. DeBose’s appointment is effective April 26, 2021.
“I am confident that Diedre has the vision and leadership skills to work collaboratively with our students, faculty, and staff to advance the important initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion across our campus,” Brophy said. “I am thrilled to have a leader with Diedre’s knowledge and experience in this crucial role.”
DeBose has over 15 years of experience in the education field, including stints at Canisius College and SUNY Geneseo. Most recently, she served as the director of access and equality opportunity programs at Geneseo. DeBose developed and shaped a vision for the opportunity programs serving underrepresented and first generation college students, making clear alignments between program level planning and the institution’s strategic plan. In addition, she provided leadership, managed, and supervised all activities, workshops, and program development, including summer bridge programs, orientation for students and parents, curriculum development and design, tutoring, counseling, mentoring, academic advisement, and career advisement.
At Canisius, DeBose served as assistant director of Canisius’s opportunity programs for education. She oversaw the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Program, including the academic, personal, and financial support services for underrepresented students.
DeBose has served on various leadership and academic committees, including the Bias Related Incident Team, the Cultivating Community Council, Curriculum Development, and Academic Standards at Geneseo. She also served on the Student Success Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee at Geneseo.
DeBose has a bachelor’s degree in social work from SUNY Fredonia and a master’s degree in social work from the University at Buffalo. She expects to complete her Ed.D. in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College in April 2021.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With over 800 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs in criminal justice administration and public administration, including a track in health administration.