Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee  

In Spring 2024, The College of the Environment Office for Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) reconstituted a College DEI Committee comprised of 15 staff, faculty, student, and postdoc members from across the College. The College DEI Committee meets monthly during the academic year and provides service in three areas:

  1. Serves as a point of communication between the College DEI Office and the broader college community.
  2. Advises the College DEI office on current and planned DEI goals and activities.
  3. Helps support the development and delivery of DEI programs coming out of the College DEI office.

To stay up to date on the latest DEI initiatives and activities of the College DEI Office and DEI Committee, browse the College of the Environment DEI program pages, and follow @uwenvironment_dei on Instagram. Please direct questions for the College DEI Office or DEI Committee to [email protected].

2024-2025 Committee members

  • Alexandra Anderson-Frey, Professor, Atmospheric Science
  • Tim Billo, Lecturer, Program on the Environment
  • TBA – School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
  • Josh Lawler, Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
  • Michael Martinez, Diversity Specialist and Undergraduate Adviser, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
  • Constance McBarron, Communications and Engagement Manager, EarthLab
  • Akshay Mehra, Assistant Professor, Earth and Space Science
  • Kayj Morrill-McClure, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Accessibility; IT Lead, Washington Sea Grant
  • Carol Perez, Human Resources Manager, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies
  • François Ribalet, Research Scientist, Oceanography
  • Clara Kreutziger, Undergraduate Student, Marine Biology
  • Sofia Saenz Kruszka, Graduate Student, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
  • Postdoctoral Scholar Representative (To be announced)
  • Anastasia Schemkes, Diversity Equity Inclusion Program Specialist, College of the Environment
  • Corey Garza, Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion College of the Environment ; Professor, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
  • Ryan Kelly, Professor and Associate Director, School of Marine & Environmental Affairs
  • Joshua Griffin, Assistant Professor, School of Marine & Environmental Affairs

Past updates

In 2021, Interim Dean of the College of the Environment, Dennis Hartmann, appointed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force to take stock of the College of the Environment’s efforts and progress on DEI, and to make recommendations on how the Dean’s office could best support efforts in DEI across the College.

The DEI Task Force was composed of faculty, staff and students from within the College. The Task Force gathered and synthesized input from across College units and departments with the goal of providing recommendations to Dean Tolstoy when she entered her position, for how the Dean’s office could support, coordinate, and sustain ongoing and future DEI efforts. The primary work of the Task Force was completed in Winter Quarter 2022, and the final report can be viewed here in PDF format.

In May 2023, the College DEI Office was reinstated when Dr. Corey Garza joined the College of the Environment as the new Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In May 2024, Anastasia Schemkes joined the College as the new DEI Program Specialist.