Fulbright College Hosts a Luncheon for Champions of Inclusive Faculty Mentoring

Kumea Shorter-Gooden

The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will host a "Champions of Inclusive Faculty Mentoring" luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23 in Old Main Room 523, in advance of two faculty workshops on inclusive search practices and mentoring. 

The luncheon will be an opportunity for Fulbright College faculty who are champions of inclusive mentoring to engage in informal conversations about best practices, and meet each other as well as the college's featured guest, Kumea Shorter-Gooden a consultant on equity, diversity and inclusion. 

Fulbright College Dean Todd Shields will also introduce the college's new director of diversity and inclusion, Romona West.

The luncheon is free and open to Fulbright College faculty, but seating is limited to 25 participants. RSVPs are required before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, by emailing Lane Schmidt at las@uark.edu. 

"We hope this lunch and its corresponding workshops will encourage networking and inspire participants' deepened engagement in mentoring and supporting underserved faculty in our continued efforts to foster inclusive departments and, ultimately, an inclusive college," Shields said.

The workshops are also free and open to Fulbright College faculty. More information about each workshop and how to RSVP is included online. 

About Kumea Shorter-Gooden: Shorter-Gooden served as the first chief diversity officer and associate vice president at the University of Maryland, College Park. She also served as associate provost for international-multicultural initiatives at Alliant International University, as professor at the California School of Professional Psychology, as director of the student counseling center at The Claremont Colleges, and as an administrator in two Chicago community mental health centers.

Shorter-Gooden is a Licensed Psychologist and the co-author of Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America, a winner of the 2004 American Book Awards. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, she is a thought leader with respect to equity, diversity and inclusion and she has provided consultation and training to educational institutions, professional associations, non-profits, corporations, and government.

Shorter-Gooden earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Princeton University with its first class of women and a doctorate in clinical/community psychology from the University of Maryland. She is also currently the principal at Shorter-Gooden Consulting, based in Washington, D.C.

About Romona West: West serves as the director of diversity and inclusion for Fulbright College. In this role, she helps define and implement the strategic diversity and inclusion vision for the college; helps set the college's related goals; coordinates existing and new diversity and inclusion activities; addresses diversity and inclusion issues and concerns; and collaborates and builds relationships with internal stakeholders while engaging with the community on issues and initiatives related to diversity and inclusion.

Prior to joining Fulbright College, West was the assistant director of graduate recruitment and outreach for the U of A's Graduate School and International Education, where she implemented effective strategies and programs to recruit diverse graduate students and domestic graduate students at large. Previously, she worked for Walmart Stores, Inc. for 16 years leading teams, developing real estate strategies, recruiting talent and developing programs to help retain, engage and grow talent. 

At Walmart, West was a diversity champion for her division, worked on numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives, and served in various capacities for associate resource groups and mentoring circles. In addition to her professional experience, West actively serves in her community via non-profit organizations, local schools and provides pro-bono legal services. 

She served on the Real Estate Associate Program board for three years teaching, recruiting and establishing programs to benefit minorities in the real estate industry. She currently serves on the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation Board, serves as the advisor to the U of A's Black Graduate Student Association and is an active member of the U of A's Diversity Leaders' team and the Sesquicentennial Inclusion Committee. West earned her B.S. in business administration with a focus in accounting and her law degree from the University of Arkansas.