Wilson will continue to promote diversity

The University of Missouri-Kansas City recently announced the appointment of Susan Wilson, Ph.D., as the Vice Chancellor for the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. She will serve as a member of the Chancellor’s leadership team. Wilson began her duties on April 17.

As the chief diversity officer for the university, Wilson’s division is responsible for oversight and implementation of UMKC’s strategic diversity plan. The plan includes initiatives to enhance access and the institutional climate, increase diversity awareness, and engage diverse groups in both the campus and the broader community. She is also charged with advising the Chancellor on matters of diversity, while leading the Chancellor’s Diversity Council.

“Susan’s expertise in the area of diversity, her established relationships with the Kansas City community, and her familiarity with UMKC will allow her to move effortlessly into the position of Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion,” said Chancellor Leo E. Morton. “She can continue to promote our efforts of embracing diversity as one of the primary goals of our strategic plan, of creating an inclusive campus and of ensuring that everyone in the UMKC community understands that ‘Diversity includes me’.”

“Diversity includes everyone, and is essential to the mission of an urban-serving university,” said Wilson. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students and community as we continue to promote diversity at Kansas City’s university.

Prior to assuming this position, Wilson was Associate Dean at the UMKC School of Medicine, where she led its diversity, access and inclusion efforts. She was responsible for policy, recruitment, retention, cultural competency and health career pipeline programs.

Wilson previously held healthcare leadership positions at Spofford, Swope Health Services and Saint Luke’s Health System, where she led administrative and clinical operations, including program development, accreditation, school-based initiatives and cultural competency efforts. Wilson brings more than twenty years of diversity consulting and training experience. She served as host and contributor for KC Currents, a radio show about diverse communities which aired on KCUR 89.3, an NPR affiliate.

Wilson received her Ph.D., and M.S. in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as her B.S. in psychology. She also holds a MBA from the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management.