PRAISE FOR…

Congratulations to Damon Williams and Karina Wade-Golden on their book, The Chief Diversity Officer.  The CDO must be a critical partner to the president, and make diversity a top priority.  The Chief Diversity Officer is an incredibly valuable contribution to both higher education and to our working knowledge of the CDO role and how to position, support, and create an environment in which diversity flourishes as a resource in our organizations.

The Chief Diversity Officer is thorough and thoughtful overview of the importance of the evolving role and responsibilities of the CDO position, this timely volume includes a sophisticated discussion of the structural issues involved in diversity leadership, incorporating both educational theory and practical wisdom and advice.  A valuable resource for academic leaders across the country who care about the educational imperatives of diversity in higher education.

The Chief Diversity Officer offers insight into the significance and importance of the CDO role.  Williams and Wade-Golden demonstrate how the CDO’s work embodies integrative and pragmatic institutional leadership that is crucial to grappling with the contemporary and imminent transformational changes in higher education.  This discerning and engaging work offers advanced insight into the significant and importance of the CDO role.

Equity and inclusion are the most important values of all American universities in the 21^st Century.  On many campuses these values are embedded in a senior official often carrying the title of Chief Diversity Officer.  This marvelous book is the first to consider in a comprehensive way, the principles, structure, and responsibilities of the offices of the CDO. I recommend the book enthusiastically to all members of the university community; staff, students, faculty, and especially senior administrates.

A successful diversity plan, which prepares students for global citizenship, can only be achieved when an institution’s leadership team is committed and involved.  This book is the tool needed by chief financial officers, presidents, and other campus leaders to effectively oversee the creation, development, and success of the CDO role in the academy.  The authors have done an amazing job of taking the complex and making it clear, creating a higher education management text that is essential reading for leaders at every level of higher education.

For too many years, talented educators assigned roles and responsibilities for achieving access and equity, creating an inclusive climate, contributing to the scholarship around diversity, and preparing students for a diverse and interconnected world, have been handicapped in carrying out their roles effectively because diversity, though publicized as a priority, has not been an area of strategic importance in college and universities.  This publications is a powerful guide on how to position the CDO as a legitimate campus leader, in collaboration with other campus units, and adequately equip him or her to carry out the goals of the chief diversity officer – – and in so doing, position the institution for maximum effectiveness.

If you are interested in chief diversity offices, you have to read this book. It will frame how you think about the definition, design, and realities of the CDO role, whether you are a leader in higher education or the corporate sector. Grounded in research, but written for practitioners and scholars alike, this book provides an excellent road map, telling leaders how to develop high impact CDO roles, lead through relationships and influence, get off to a fast start, and the critical principles for leading change.  We’ve waited too long for the Chief Diversity Officer and I’m lad it’s finally here, very well done.

This first and definitive book on the development and design of chief diversity officer infrastructures, offers an unprecedented contribution to the field of strategic diversity leadership.  It is a classic that will show the way for generations of chief diversity officers, scholars, consultants, and those aspiring to the role of chief diversity officer.

With increasing international trade and growing migration of students and workers across country boarders, the management of diversity has become a strategic opportunity for all types of organizations.  The Chief Diversity Officer provides an insightful and pragmatic understanding of how diversity officers can help their organizations unlock the potential of diversity to drive organizational success.

Based on both empirical research and the collective experiences of the authors in effecting transformative change, this much-needed book breaks new ground. It will benefit anyone interested in leading, engaging, or improving higher education, leaving no excuses for failing to make a difference.

This is the first comprehensive overview of the development of the CDO role and a clear and detailed analysis of the strategic contributions that the CDO can make to organizational transformation.  A ‘must read’ for the new or seasoned CDO.