Here are this year's Keynote Speakers and Special Guests:
Welcome Remarks:
Carol Christ, Ph.D., is the 11th Chancellor and the former Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of the University of California, Berkeley. She previously served as President of Smith College from 2002 to 2013, and before that was a professor of English and an administrator at Berkeley for more than three decades. Chancellor Christ is an advocate for quality, accessible public higher education, a proponent of the value of a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, and a champion of women’s issues and diversity on college campuses. Since her return to Berkeley, she has worked to foster community and improve the campus climate, strengthen Berkeley's financial position, address the campus' housing shortage, and celebrate the institution's longstanding commitment to free speech. Read her full bio here.
Special Guest:
Michael V. Drake, M.D., is the 21st president of the University of California, which includes 10 campuses, five medical centers, three nationally affiliated labs, more than 280,000 students and 230,000 faculty and staff. Dr. Drake previously served as president of The Ohio State University (OSU) from 2014 through June 2020. Prior to his six years at OSU, his entire academic career has been at UC, including as chancellor of UC Irvine for nine years from 2005 to 2014 and as the systemwide vice president for health affairs from 2000 to 2005. Read his full bio here.
Morning Keynote Speaker:
Renetta Garrison Tull, Ph.D., is the University of California Davis' inaugural Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which houses Academic Diversity, the Office of Campus Community Relations, four centers, and Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (DEI within the medical school, nursing school and health center). Dr. Tull also serves on the Chief Diversity Officers Council for the University of California, and has several programs and boards within her portfolio including HSI initiatives, the Police Accountability Board, Diversity and Inclusion Education and strategic planning, 4 centers, and more. Read her full bio here.
Morning Keynote Speaker
Fatima Alleyne, Ph.D., is the University of California Berkeley's Director of Community Engagement and Inclusive Practices in the College of Engineering (COE). She brings her passion and love for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and education into her work to develop programs that promote equity; foster a positive, inclusive culture; increase representation of diverse faculty in engineering; and increase access and opportunities to those who have historically been underrepresented in STEM. She also led a strategic planning process to guide programs and priorities to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the College. Her work has been lauded by our chancellor with recognition as a Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Award recipient in 2022. Prior to this role, Fatima served as the director of COE faculty engagement, consultant for the Center for Restorative Solutions, research general engineer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and education and outreach coordinator at an NSF-funded research center and research specialist, both at UC Berkeley. Her commitment and passion for STEM education has led to her service on a range of committees on campus and in her community, including the development of STEM programs in K-12 schools. Fatima earned her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in materials science and engineering from UC Berkeley and a B.A. in chemistry from City University of New York, Hunter College.
Afternoon Keynote Speaker:
Christine Carter, Ph.D., VP of Product Development at BetterUp, is an author, speaker, and coach dedicated to redesigning the way we work—so that we can lead our most joyful, productive, and fulfilling lives. As a sociologist, she’s sought to inspire large-scale, systemic change in our most common and influential social structures: corporations, families, and schools. For many years, Dr. Christine Carter was the executive director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (GGSC), where she remains a sociologist and Senior Fellow. Read her full bio here.
Afternoon Keynote Moderator and Closing Remarks:
Eugene Whitlock, J.D., Berkeley’s Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief People & Culture Officer. Eugene leads a 75-person human resources department including talent acquisition, people and organization development, employee and labor relations, total rewards, diversity equity, inclusion and belonging, and human resources information systems. Eugene also serves on the governing board of the American Research Universities-Human Resources Institute and the Human Resources Leadership Council for the University of California. During his time at UC Berkeley, Eugene has emphasized the creation of a workplace where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong. Read his full bio here.