OIE Welcomes Three New Staff Members
The Office for Institutional Equity welcomes two new investigators and an events coordinator. Their experience and expertise will enable the office to expand efficiency and outreach to better serve the Duke community.
Adrienne Allison joined the office in late July as an equal opportunity compliance investigator focusing on student sexual misconduct and 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 Duke, she 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. “Having been a resident of downtown Durham for 15 years,” said Allison, “I am excited to use my experience in civil rights and higher education compliance to advance equal opportunities for Duke employees and students, whom I consider my neighbors. I look forward to contributing to the mission of OIE to foster a sense of belonging at Duke, where everyone’s contributions, identities, and backgrounds are welcomed, respected, and valued.”
In early August, Erin Mac Donald arrived to investigate reports of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, stalking, complicity, retaliation, and protected class discrimination and harassment. Erin previously served as the Case Management and Database Coordinator for UNC Chapel Hill's Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC) where she provided case management for and data analysis of all EOC reports. Her passion for equal opportunity work attracted her to OIE. “One of the many reasons I joined OIE was to be part of a team whose collective aspiration is to work toward and continually encourage a welcoming community – for everyone,” said Mac Donald.
Coinciding with the start of the fall 2021 semester, Timothy McDermott will coordinate event planning for the office, with particular attention to OIE’s two annual signature events: The Dr. Martin Luther King Commemoration and the Samuel DuBois Cook Society Awards Dinner. As an alumnus from the Duke Divinity School and the former staff specialist at Duke Science & Society, Tim knows the campus well and he wanted to do more for the community. “After everything that has happened since I was student – and especially since my return to Duke in January of 2020,” mentioned McDermott, “I was looking for a better way to serve and help heal the community around me at Duke and in Durham more broadly. I am excited to join OIE because it feels like a real opportunity to use the skills and knowledge I have to help shape the Duke community to be a more equitable place for everyone who is part of the Duke family.”
Learn more about OIE's staff on the OIE Staff Directory.
By Maria Moreno
© 2021 Duke Office for Institutional Equity
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