A nationally recognized leader with both university and private practice experience will soon take the reins of UofL’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Lee Gill, chief diversity officer and special assistant to the president for inclusive excellence at Clemson University, will join UofL as vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion on May 15.
With more than 25 years of experience in the diversity field, Gill currently is a member of the president’s leadership team at Clemson, where he is credited with building a sustainable infrastructure to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts into the campus culture and with creating programs that support and address the challenges facing women, Black and Hispanic students and the LGBTQ community. He created the Clemson University Men of Color National Summit, which brings together more than 2,000 students, educators, business professionals, government officials and community leaders from around the country to explore issues and share best practices to increase high school and college graduation rates.
Gill serves on a number of boards of directors, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education. In 2014, he received the National Diversity Visionary Award from Insight into Diversity magazine for his significant contributions to diversity in higher education.
“Mr. Gill’s extensive experience in building programming and weaving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts into the fabric of the universities he has served stood out among the many qualified candidates we reviewed,” said Lori Stewart Gonzalez, UofL’s interim president. “His enthusiasm is contagious, and we are excited about the advancements our campus community will make under his leadership.”
Prior to joining Clemson, Gill served for eight years as associate vice president for inclusion and equity and chief diversity officer at the University of Akron. He previously had served as chief executive officer of Stratus Group Consultants Inc., a firm providing diversity audits and training, management assessments and other services. Prior to that role, he held the position of dean of the Institute for Diversity and Leadership at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
“I am excited at the opportunity of working with Interim President Gonzalez and the leadership team to help advance the DEI mission of this great university,” Gill said. “So many best practices, and national models are in place here at UofL along with an engaged faculty, staff and student body. I look forward to working with them and others to continue building a dynamic, inclusive campus community.”
Gill holds a juris doctorate in law from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology and bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Michigan.
He succeeds V. Faye Jones, who has served as interim senior associate vice president for diversity and equity since 2019. A tenured professor of pediatrics, Jones will continue her appointments as associate vice president for health affairs – diversity initiatives at the Health Sciences Center and vice chair of inclusive excellence in the Department of Pediatrics.
“Dr. Jones has served the university community well in her many roles, including as interim vice president,” Gonzalez said. “We look forward to her continuing commitment and excellent work on behalf of our students, faculty and staff. I hope the entire campus will join me in thanking her for her efforts and wishing her well.”
