DePaul's associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Office of Academic Affairs, Cindy Pickett, announced earlier this week that she will step down from her role at DePaul effective Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (Image courtesy of Michael D. Lyons Photography) Cindy Pickett, DePaul's associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Office of Academic Affairs, announced on Oct. 25 that she has accepted the position of presidential associate for inclusion and chief diversity officer at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She will step down from her role at DePaul effective Friday, Dec. 9.
“It comes with great sadness that I share I will be leaving DePaul," Pickett says. “I accepted my position at DePaul with great enthusiasm and with the expectation – as many of us had – that the pandemic would be over in a matter of weeks or months. As the pandemic wore on, transitioning became increasingly difficult for my family and the need to stay closer to our southern California roots became more evident."
In her role, Pickett partnered with diversity, equity and inclusion leaders in DePaul's colleges, schools and offices to improve retention strategies, address implicit bias and create mentorship opportunities. In just two years, Pickett facilitated implicit bias training for hundreds of faculty and search committee members, and the diversity of the university's faculty hires has risen, with the latest cohort being 51 percent faculty of color.
“I am grateful for all of Cindy's contributions to DePaul," Provost Salma Ghanem says. “This fall, she launched a faculty mentoring program that ensures assistant professors are given mentorship opportunities through their college or school."
In addition to her role as associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion, Pickett served as an associate professor in psychology in the College of Science and Health.
“I am grateful for my time with DePaul's faculty, staff and students, and for the support of my colleagues in Academic Affairs and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity," Pickett says
. “I also want to thank all of those individuals in the DePaul community who work tirelessly to promote our shared values of diversity, equity and inclusion."
A call for nominations will be solicited in the near future for the interim associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion. The university will share more information about the search as soon as it is available.