Ellis Named UNA’s Chief Diversity Officer
May. 02, 2023
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@love365cn.com, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Minnette Ellis has been named the Interim Chief Diversity Officer at the University of North Alabama, effective June 1.
“It is an honor to serve the University of North Alabama as the Chief Diversity Officer,” Ellis said. “I am excited to work alongside President Kitts and members of the Executive Council as part of this opportunity to explore ways we may build upon our strong and vibrant legacy of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Advancing the Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan:2020-2025 is an integral part of enhancing the overall experience for faculty, staff, and students.”
As part of the role, Ellis will be a member of the Executive Council for the University, working directly with senior administrators as well as President Kitts.
“I have great confidence in Minnette and look forward to welcoming her to our senior leadership team at UNA,” Dr. Kitts said. “She will be an effective leader of our campus diversity efforts.”
Ellis joined the UNA staff in January of 2022 as the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, a role that was revived from the late 1990s and in response to the growing enrollment at the institution. Ellis will maintain several of her responsibilities in the Division of Student Affairs in the Associate Vice President-Dean of Students role.
“It has been a pleasure to work with Minnette in the Division of Student Affairs,” said Dr. K.C. White, the Division Vice President. “She has been a tremendous colleague who builds relationships throughout the University in her role as Associate Vice President-Dean of Students. Dean Ellis is a collaborative leader and champion of the student experience. Minnette is very thoughtful in creating experiences and programs to assist students in their pursuits and is a wonderful choice to serve in the Interim Chief Diversity Officer role.”
Ellis is a Missouri native and a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and Indiana State University. She is also a doctoral candidate at Western Kentucky University. Before her tenure at UNA, she spent 11 years in a variety of roles at Western Kentucky University. Ellis and her family, including husband, Todd, and children, Truman and Vivian, have enjoyed being part of the Shoals community.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: love365cn.com and love365cn.com/unaworks/.