Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Compliance

Position Overview

Position Summary

The Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity, Equal Opportunity and Compliance (AVP), is part of Duke's Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) and is responsible for the strategic oversight of Duke University and Duke University Health System policies against discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct and retaliation. This position will work closely with the Vice President to provide system-wide leadership on the response to and resolution of concerns about protected status-based discrimination and harassment from students, staff and faculty. The AVP also serves as the University Title IX Coordinator responsible for the University's compliance with the federal law and corresponding regulations. In this role the AVP has direct supervision over a of team of eight full-time employees, including the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students and the Senior Investigator/Policy Analyst. The AVP works closely with the Vice President and the Associate Vice President for Education and Strategy to lead OIE and deepen interoffice connections principally through the employment of alternative resolution techniques to address protected status-based conflicts in the workplace. The AVP and the Vice President will collaborate with leaders across the enterprise to review and revise relevant policy and procedures, collaborate with University and Health System partners and communicate to the University community about rights, responsibilities and cultural impacts.

Responsibilities

The Associate Vice President, under the direction of the Vice President, and in collaboration with OIE staff, the Office of University Counsel, Student Affairs, Human Resources and other University and Health System staff, will perform the following activities:

Supervise the implementation of the Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct and its various Procedures, as well as the Consensual Relationship Policy throughout the University and Health System.
Provide supervision and oversight of the investigation team, support positions, the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students and the Senior Investigator/Policy Analyst on the process for responding to concerns in the scope of OIE's jurisdiction, including assessing and investigating complaints and concerns, report preparation, coordination with schools and units on the implementation of recommendations/sanctions and appropriate communication.
Operate as a key partner to the Vice President in the development of policy and procedure and the communication of OIE's responsibility to address to all protected class-based discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct consistent with changing legal and regulatory frameworks.
Collaborate with the OIE Associate Vice President for Education and Development to resolve appropriate reports and complaints through alternative resolution techniques.
Provide consultation and support to schools and departments regarding harassment and discrimination prevention, Title IX compliance and ways to identify appropriate responsive action and communication.
Oversee management of OIE caseload to ensure timely response to complaints/concerns, consistent updates to parties, completion of investigation reports and responses to appeals. Supervise the Manager of Intake and Assessment in her management of the OIE database system and make decisions about strategic data collection for Annual Report to be responsive to community questions. Anticipate trends, identify strategies to build trust and surface creative solutions for accurate and timely case management.
Identify appropriate curriculum and education/training for hearing officers, appellate officers, investigators, student affairs professionals and others who have a role in the process for responding to discrimination and harassment. Engage OIE team in the delivery of education in collaboration with colleagues across the institution including, Human Resources, Disability Access and Accommodation Services and the Office for Faculty Advancement. Coordinate with the OIE Director of Communications to promote educational opportunities and to develop innovative ways to educate the University and Health System community to foster greater understanding of the policy and complaint handling process.
Collaborate with Office of University Counsel to assist with investigation of federal and state agency complaints including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and coordinate on investigations and other matters related to complaints of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct.
Collaborate with the Office of Student Affairs to respond to reports of student sexual misconduct, discrimination and harassment. Work collaboratively with the Office for Student Conduct and Community Affairs to respond to bias reports, investigate complaints and support the student adjudication process.
Maintain a working knowledge of relevant employment and labor laws, including Title VII, Title VI, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) the Clery Act, Title IX regulations and an understanding of related procedures including the Dispute Resolution Process and the Faculty Hearing Committee Process.
Perform other administrative duties of a complex and confidential nature in support of the Vice President.

Skills

Exceptional leadership, interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
Outstanding listening, collaboration and team building skills that facilitate coordination and cooperation.
Ability to lead with courage, humility and creativity.
Excellent investigative, research, analytical, oral communication and writing skills.
Ability to grasp complex issues rapidly and accurately.
Ability to establish rapport and work cooperatively with various levels of faculty, staff, students, and outside agencies.
Ability to prioritize and organize work effectively to meet sensitive deadlines. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Knowledge of trauma-informed investigative techniques.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
Ability to be resilient, flexible and creative in approaching complex problems.
Familiarity with federal laws, regulations, and guidance important to postsecondary education, e.g., Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, ADA, Clery, VAWA, FERPA.

Education and Work Experience

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) Degree is required.

Work Experience

Minimum 8 years of experience working with a complex organization on the investigation of discrimination, harassment, equal opportunity or related work.

Background in employment and/or labor law or other related practice in private law firm, federal or state agency or as in-house corporate counsel.

Experience in higher education, including working with health system professionals is preferred. Experience in human resources, compliance and/or equal opportunity is also preferred.

WittKieffer is assisting Duke University with this search. Application materials, nominations, and inquiries should be sent directly to our consultants Charlene Aguilar, Ed.M. and Shelley Arakawa, J.D. at WittKieffer: DukeAVP@wittkieffer.com To be considered complete, applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes noted on this site. The review of materials has begun and will continue until an appointment has been made.

Duke Benefits

Duke Values

Search Committee

Kimberly Hewitt, Vice President for Institutional Equity & Chief Diversity Officer

Kimberly Hewitt joined Duke in August 2019 as Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer at Duke University. In her role she oversees the University and Health System compliance with anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII, Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Additionally, she leads the strategic direction for the advancement of equity and inclusion principles through a data-driven approach, including oversight of the Campus Culture Survey and the Racial Equity Advisory Council. Hewitt serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet. Her team responds to discrimination and harassment concerns, provides education and support on a variety of related topics, advises on salary equity questions and meets department of labor regulatory equal opportunity requirements.

She also has 14 years of experience practicing law in the areas of employment, labor, and education law. She was previously a partner in the law firm Rider Bennett, where she was the chair of the Education Law Practice and served as an in-house attorney for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Hewitt holds an A.B. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Antwan Lofton, Vice President for Human Resources, Chief Human Resources Officer

Antwan Lofton, Ed D, SPHR was appointed as Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at Duke on March 1, 2023. In this role, Lofton supports a culture where Human Resources is accessible to Duke's greatest asset - its people.

Lofton joined Duke in 2017 as the assistant vice president for Staff & Labor Relations and Staff & Family Programs. He became interim vice president for Human Resources in April 2022 before being appointed to the position full time.

He leads the development and implementation of effective human resource services and policies that support the strategic priorities of the University and Health System. In addition to ensuring compliance with regulatory and legal requirements, he oversees all benefit plan designs and administration which include the Healthcare Plan Steering Committee, with health plan administration for more than 75,000 covered lives. He provides leadership to continue to implement innovative human capital management strategies to recruit and retain a diverse workforce in an increasingly competitive market for talent. This includes leadership in the following areas: Talent acquisition and retention, Compensation and Benefits, Staff and Labor Relations, Learning and Organizational Development and HR trends, metrics, and budget.

Lofton has worked in human resources for more than 20 years in education and healthcare.

Sumetrice Porter, Director, Faculty Relations

Sumetrice Porter, MPA, PHR, serves as the Director of Faculty Relations at Duke University, where she plays a critical role in supporting faculty and academic leadership in navigating complex performance and misconduct matters. She partners with deans, department chairs to resolve complex issues that span the University and School of Medicine, assisting in the preparation of letters of expectation, letters of reprimand, and other key faculty communications regarding conduct or performance. She is a seasoned human resources leader with over 20 years of operational and strategic HR expertise. Porter most recently served as the HR Director for the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. She has also held roles as the HR Manager for the Patient Revenue Management Organization (PRMO) at Duke University Health System and as an employee relations consultant for Duke University’s Staff & Labor Relations Office.

Porter holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Human Resource Management from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Elon University.

Mara Becker, Professor of Pediatrics

Mara Becker is currently a Professor of Pediatrics and the Vice Dean for Faculty at Duke University School of Medicine. In her role as Vice Dean, she has focused on fortifying and reimagining the Office for Faculty and the multiple programs and offices that support faculty in the School of Medicine. Efforts have concentrated on identifying opportunities to create standardized and transparent processes within the office, prioritizing leadership development for current leaders in the School of Medicine and developing a training and mentorship program in Restorative Justice to strengthen community and support a healthy and productive work climate.

Becker’s translational research interests are to identify factors that enhance response and minimize toxicity to drugs used for the treatment of diseases in children, focusing on an individualized therapeutic strategy. She has also served as a faculty leader at the Duke Clinical Research Institute where her work expanded to developing and supporting novel networks to carry out research and clinical trials, focusing on children with rare rheumatic and genetic conditions including the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry.

Neera Skurky, Associate General Counsel

Neera Skurky serves as an Associate General Counsel at Duke. She joined the Office of Counsel in May 2018 and advises Duke University and Duke University Health System on all types of legal issues involving faculty and staff employees.

Prior to joining Duke, Skurky was Associate University Counsel at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she worked closely with university administration on a wide variety of legal matters related to employment law, faculty governance and academic freedom, public records, open meetings, the First Amendment, and litigation. Before working at UNC-Chapel Hill, Skurky was in private practice as an employment lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia.

Skurky received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree from Georgia State University School of Law. She has been admitted to the North Carolina Bar and the Georgia Bar.

Aaron Franklin, Addy Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Aaron Franklin received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 2008 and then spent six years on the research staff at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. In 2014, he joined the faculty at Duke University where his group studies high-performance nanoelectronic devices, low-cost printed electronics, and versatile biomedical sensing systems. For each of these areas, the Franklin lab uses 1D and 2D nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, MoS2) to deliver new levels of performance and functionality, while increasing understanding of carrier transport and operational limits. Franklin is a Fellow of the IEEE and NAI and, in addition to leading a successful research group with more than 100 scientific publications, he has been actively involved in the translation of inventions out of the lab, holding more than 50 issued patents and spinning out two funded start-up companies (one of which was acquired by Bridgestone in 2023). Presently, he serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Pratt School of Engineering.

Dexter Nolley, Chief HR Officer, Duke Regional Hospital

Dexter Nolley, MEd, SPHR, was appointed chief human resources officer for Duke Regional Hospital in November 2014. Duke Regional Hospital is a 369 bed Magnet hospital with over 1,800 employees. The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for the optimum utilization of the Human Resources staff at Duke Regional Hospital. This involves responsibility for employment, training, assignment of duties, providing proper equipment and working conditions, recommending salary adjustments and maintaining morale.

Nolley has more than 20 years’ experience in human resources, including employee relations, mediation, performance management, team building and training and development. He joined Duke Staff and Labor Relations in 2000, and most recently was divisional chief human resources officer for Duke Primary Care.

Nolley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Mercer University and a Master of Education in Counseling from Georgia Southern University. He is also a member of the Society for Human Resources Management.

Jeanna McCullers, Assist VP, Student Affairs

Jeanna McCullers serves as the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, Policy, and Governance at Duke University. She currently serves as senior associate dean of students and director of the Office of Student Conduct. Before joining the Duke staff in 2017, she served as the Title IX officer for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She discovered her love for doing equity and justice work while interning at the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission. She worked for Legal Aid after law school and later served in various advocacy and hearing officer roles. McCullers enjoys building community and considers this fundamental to her work.

McCullers, a native North Carolinian, holds a bachelor’s degree in policy and politics rom North Carolina State University and a juris doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston.

Christina Kline, Executive Dir, Disability Management

Christina Kline serves as the Executive Director for Duke’s Access & Accommodation Services, which is responsible for ensuring that Duke (including the health system and other affiliated entities) meets its responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act and similar laws. The office also provides guidance and assistance regarding the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Kline’s office fulfills a variety of functions including facilitating the interactive process for accommodations, connecting students, employees, visitors and patients to appropriate resources, providing physical accessibility reviews, consulting on a variety of topics such as service animals and disability inclusion, and providing training and educational programming.

Prior to joining Duke, Kline served as the ADA Director and in the Office for Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX at the University of Michigan and served as an associate attorney at a Michigan law firm and as a legal fellow for the Michigan American Civil Liberties Union. She earned her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California Berkeley.

Equal Opportunity Employer & Title IX

Duke University prohibits discrimination and harassment and provides equal employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Duke is committed to recruiting, hiring, and promoting qualified women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.

Pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Duke prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any of its educational programs or activities. For more information, please visit the policy.

A "Best Employer"

For years, Duke has ranked among the best institutions in the country for students and patients as a top university and hospital with some of the best graduate programs. Now, Duke's name is cropping up on prestigious lists that represent a different constituency — the more than 30,000 faculty and staff at Duke.

Duke Recognized as a 'Best Employer'