Vice President & Executive Support Staff

Kimberly Hewitt
Vice President for Institutional Equity & Chief Diversity Officer

Kimberly Hewitt was appointed Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer at Duke in August 2019 after serving as the Vice Provost for Institutional Equity at Johns Hopkins University where she led the University’s efforts to comply with equal opportunity laws including Title IX and oversaw ADA compliance function. She previously served as the Director of the Office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Office for Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota. Kim began her career in higher education as assistant dean for students and multicultural affairs at Hamline University School of Law. She also has 14 years of experience practicing law in the areas of employment, labor, and education law, having been a partner and chair of the Education Law Practice in the law firm Rider Bennett, as well as an in-house attorney for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Kim holds an A.B. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Vacant
Operations Manager & Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Institutional Equity

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Harassment & Discrimination Prevention and Compliance

Cynthia Clinton
Assistant Vice President for Harassment & Discrimination Prevention and Compliance
Title IX Coordinator

Cynthia Clinton is the Assistant Vice President of Harassment & Discrimination Prevention and Compliance, and Title IX Coordinator. She leads and implements strategic compliance initiatives, training, complaint handling and other efforts related to the Duke Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct and the Duke Policy on Consensual Romantic or Sexual Relationships. Cynthia provides education and training related to the policies and harassment and discrimination response training to staff, faculty and students. She also provides education around issues of diversity and inclusion. Additional services and areas of expertise include consulting with senior administrators, chairs, managers and supervisors on issues of possible harassment and discrimination, as well as promising practices designed to minimize the likelihood of such conduct. She has worked in the area of higher education employment discrimination and compliance for over twenty-five years. Cynthia holds a B.A. from Spelman College and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law

Ericka Lewis
Senior Investigator
Policy Analyst

Ericka Lewis joined Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity in October 2016 as an Equal Opportunity Compliance Investigator. She reviews and revises policy and procedures, conducts compliance training, and directs and conducts investigations of harassment and discrimination complaints involving students, faculty, and staff. Prior to coming to Duke, she served as a Title IX investigator at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she investigated discrimination and harassment complaints and drafted administrative decisions for federal agencies. Ericka began her career as a staff attorney for a labor union where she practiced labor and employment law for seven years. She also conducted mediations for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, New York District Office. Ericka holds a B.A. in Political Science from The State University of New York at Stony Brook and a J.D. cum laude from Michigan State University.

Adrienne Allison
Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Equity Compliance Investigator

Adrienne Allison joined Duke in July 2021. She currently serves as Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students and as an Equity Compliance Investigator. In her role, she oversees university compliance with Title IX complaints brought against students and the provision of supportive measures. She also works closely with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards on the intake of sexual misconduct matters. As a compliance investigator, Adrienne investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related misconduct filed by students, faculty, and staff. She also conducts compliance training and provides consultation services to managers and human resources staff. Prior to coming to Duke, Adrienne served in several roles at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including Director of Title IX Compliance/Title IX Coordinator, Associate Title IX Coordinator, and the School of Law’s Director of Public Interest Advising. Before working in higher education, Adrienne practiced law with Disability Rights North Carolina and with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP. She also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Linda M. McGee in the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Adrienne earned her B.A. in English and Women’s Studies and her J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina.

Lonnie Hinton
Equity Compliance Investigator

Lonnie Hinton joined Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity in October 2016 where he serves as an equal opportunity compliance investigator. As a compliance investigator, he investigates student sexual misconduct and complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related misconduct filed by students, faculty, and staff. He also conducts compliance training and provides consultation services to managers and human resources staff. Prior to Duke, Lonnie served 25 years in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and retired as Deputy Chief of Detectives. During his tenure there, he worked in, and later supervised, several of the office’s major crimes units responsible for investigating homicides, sex crimes, and police misconduct. After retiring from the Prosecutor’s Office in 2014, he worked as an attorney for Legal Services of New Jersey and as a Title IX Investigator for Princeton University. Lonnie holds a J.D. from Seton Hall University as well as a MAS and Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Administration from Fairleigh Dickenson University.

Erin MacDonald
Equity Compliance Investigator

Erin MacDonald investigates reports of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, stalking, complicity, retaliation, and protected class discrimination and harassment. Erin previously served as an Equal Opportunity/Title IX Investigator for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at Chapel Hill, she also served as the Case Management and Database Coordinator for UNC's Equal Opportunity and Compliance office. She also previously worked as a legal assistant for a bankruptcy law firm and a workers’ compensation and personal injury firm, taught in UNC-Charlotte’s first-year writing program, and was the Director of an education clinic for students with developmental disabilities. Erin has her B.A. in English from Gardner-Webb University, her M.A. in English from UNC-Charlotte, and her J.D. from NC Central University.

James Mason
Equity Compliance Investigator

James Mason Joined Duke in May 2020 and serves as an equal opportunity compliance investigator. As a compliance investigator, he investigates student sexual misconduct and complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related misconduct filed by students, faculty, and staff. He also conducts compliance training and provides consultation services to managers and human resources staff. Prior to coming to Duke, James served as a Title IX investigator at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and also at the University of Minnesota. He began his career as a Trial Associate at Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Minneapolis, MN. James has a B.S., magna cum laude, in Communication from Drexel University and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law.

Nikki Stovall
Equity Compliance Investigator

Nikki Stovall began her career in higher education in the field of accessibility. Over the past 10 years, Nikki has served in multiple roles including learning specialist, case manager, and assistive technologist. Nikki has dedicated her career to facilitating access and equity for individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Nikki holds a B.S. in Sport Management and a M.Ed. in School Counseling from Liberty University.

Jess Clark
Manager, Intake and Assessment

Jess Clark joined Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity in November 2023 as the Intake and Assessment Manager. She previously served as the Case Management and Database Coordinator for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Equal Opportunity and Compliance office. Prior to that, Jess served as the Violence Response Coordinator at Elon University, the Crisis Response Coordinator at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, and the case manager for an intensive in-home team working with children and their families. Jess graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Social Work degree and earned her Master of Social Work degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Vakia Robinson (vuh-KEY-ah)
Program Coordinator

Vakia holds a B.S. in sociology from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. In the Office of Institutional Equity, she provides additional support for various OIE related matters. Her previous roles have included areas focused on student engagement, academic support, and social media management. Vakia has a passion for DEI work and community involvement.

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Employment Equity and Data Evaluation

Sophia Brelvi
Director of Affirmative Action and Compliance Programs

Joining the Duke University community as the Director of Affirmative Action and Compliance Programs, Sophia Brelvi has an extensive background in law and a passion for social justice. Graduating with Honors in International Business and Political Science, Sophia matriculated through law school focusing on non-profit and regulatory law. Prior to transitioning into the Higher Education sector, Sophia worked as an asylum attorney and found her passion for compliance during her tenure as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Fundación Rahab, an international NGO advocating for survivors of human trafficking. Shortly thereafter, she joined the Office of the General Counsel as the Director of Title IX, Ethics, and Compliance at Morehouse College. Sophia then transitioned to Dartmouth College as the Director of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Sophia earned her BSBA in International Business and BS in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as well as her Masters of Jurisprudence in Legal Doctrine and Analysis & Juris Doctorate degrees from Michigan State University College of Law.

Grant Scoggins
Senior EO/AA Analyst

Grant Scoggins joined the Office for Institutional Equity in 2017 as an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Analyst. In that role, he is responsible for compiling, conditioning, and analyzing data that is necessary for Duke’s compliance as a federal contractor. This process includes submitting federal reports, conducting utilization analysis, and creating data visualizations used in Duke’s Affirmative Action Plans. He also creates ad-hoc reports for Duke departments that are used in consultations or presentations given to search committees. Grant received a B. A. from North Carolina State University.

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Leigh-Anne Royster
Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Doctor Leigh-Anne Royster is an educator, facilitator, and administrator focused on inclusion and equity development through policy, education and intervention. She comes to Duke from Elon University where she served in multiple roles including the Director of the Center for Equity and Inclusive Excellence and the Director of Health Services. Her work has largely focused on developing and facilitating educational opportunities around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; climate assessment; and violence/bias prevention. She has also overseen response and compliance systems responding to violence, harassment, and bias. She has experience developing anti-bias and anti-oppression curriculum for students, staff and faculty and has spent years in faculty roles as well. Leigh-Anne has 25 years of experience working with violence response and prevention, and public health activities including time at UNC Chapel Hill’s Institute on Aging, Injury Prevention Research Center, and the North Carolina Institute of Public Health. She also has experience working in the criminal justice system and the non-profit sector. Leigh-Anne holds a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill, an MPA from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. from UNC Greensboro.

Shannon Ashford
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Shannon is an educator and facilitator whose passion is to develop and connect individuals in order to create inclusive and equitable environments. She brings more than a decade of experience developing and facilitating educational opportunities focused on diversity, equity, inclusion; leadership and identity development; and intercultural communication. She also has experience in campus activities, K-12 college access initiatives and nonprofit management. Shannon comes to Duke from Wake Forest University, where she most recently served as the Senior Associate Director of the Intercultural Center where she oversaw the development and facilitation of educational engagements centered on intercultural competence development, inclusive practices and community building for students, faculty and staff. Shannon holds a B.S. in Journalism (Public Relations) from Ohio University and a M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University.

Elizabeth Jones
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Doctor Elizabeth A. Jones is an experienced educator, facilitator, trainer, and administrator in academic and community spaces around a variety of issues related to diversity and inclusion, critical pedagogy, interpersonal and organizational communication, gender and sexuality, and inclusive leadership. She believes that we learn through our identities, bodies, and stories, and that justice emerges in community/ies of care. She believes in critical feminist, queer, and disability theories and methods as modes of inquiry and sites of possibility for justice making. As a creative and performer, she also believes that creative practices can help us all get more free. Elizabeth has spent the last decade as a faculty member at North Carolina State University in the Department of Communication and in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She served in numerous administrative roles including Director of Public Speaking, in various leadership roles in the WGS, and as the Director of the First Year Inquiry Program. Prior to her work at NCSU, Elizabeth worked in the Office of Inclusive Excellence at Elon University. Elizabeth holds a B.A./B.A. in English and Communication Studies, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies, all from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Hailey Mason
Senior Program Coordinator

Hailey Mason is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of projects and events within OIE with special attention to coordinating the efforts of the President's Racial Equity Advisory Council. In this role, Hailey also supports the development of antiracism-driven education and training as well as ongoing communications and data collection, management, and analysis efforts. Her goals in this position are to engage members and affiliates of the Duke community effectively and efficiently as we work to fulfill our commitment to equity, antiracism, and inclusive excellence through honest and meaningful collaboration across the enterprise. Hailey holds a master's degree in public health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill where she served as the inaugural Inclusive Excellence Program Coordinator. She began her professional career creating and facilitating public health training, education, and research opportunities for faculty, staff, students. Hailey is excited to integrate wellness and healing-informed approaches into her work with OIE and with the Duke community at large.

VACANT
Events Program Coordinator

The events program coordinator is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of OIE's events, such as the annual Cook Awards Ceremony and the MLK Commemoration. 

Megan Peterson
Staff Assistant

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