Meet Our People

Our people in the Office for Institutional Diversity and in the units that support OID's mission are dedicated to ensuring all students, staff and faculty know they belong at the University of Kentucky. OID directors and their staff work to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in all areas, from the classroom to the broader Lexington community.

Learn more about the remarkable people who are advancing inclusive excellence at UK and beyond.

Meet the team Office for Institutional Diversity (OID)

Katrice A. Albert (she/her)

Vice President for Institutional Diversity

Dr. Katrice A. Albert has a distinguished career in higher education and intercollegiate athletics. She currently serves as the Vice President for Institutional Diversity at the University of Kentucky. Prior to that, Dr. Albert served as the executive vice president of inclusion and human resources at The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Previously, Dr. Albert served as vice president for equity and diversity of the University of Minnesota system, and before that as vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach at Louisiana State University (LSU).

She writes, speaks and consults on the issues of cultural competence and integration, corporate social responsibility, educational and workforce inclusion, gender and dynamics of power, educational access and community-university partnerships.

Dr. Albert earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Xavier University of Louisiana, a master’s in counseling psychology from The University of Southern Mississippi and a doctoral degree in counseling psychology from Auburn University. She has repeatedly been recognized nationally for her efforts as an inclusion champion and subject matter expert. She is a highly sought-after scholar-practitioner who frequently writes, speaks and consults on cultural competence and integration, corporate social responsibility, educational and workforce access and equity, gender and dynamics of power and community-university partnerships.

Katrice A. Albert is a native of New Roads, Louisiana, in Pointe Coupée Parish.

Lanita Tokish (she/her)

Executive Assistant for Institutional Diversity

Email: lanita.tokish@uky.edu

Damon L. Williams (he/him)

Associate Vice President of the Office for Institutional Diversity

Damon L. Williams earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana, a master's in marketing from Tulane University, a Master of Business Administration from Fontbonne University and he is a doctoral student at Louisiana State University studying higher education administration. He holds additional certificates from Emory University and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

His work has been recognized nationally by Black Enterprise Magazine, Diverse Issues in Higher Education and he has received many honors and awards including Xavier University’s Louisiana Alumni of the Year Award and Northwestern University’s Penny Warren Service Award. Williams serves on several national boards including the National Conference for Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), Medical Moguls, Hill Harper’s “Making Your Destiny” and has been named to the Board of Trustees of the Social Science Research Council. He is a member of the National Black MBA Association, the National Urban League and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). Most recently Williams was selected to be a panelist at the White House’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Conference in September 2022.

Vanessa Jackson

Dr. Jackson is a professor and chair of the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE). She also serves as the director of faculty diversity and inclusion for CAFE.

Currently, her research focuses on women of color and the barriers they must overcome in academic leadership roles as well as soft skill development for student competitiveness in entry level positions in human sciences.

As an instructor, Dr. Jackson seeks to nurture transformative education for the leaders of tomorrow by providing support for experiential learning and study abroad. This includes spear-heading a collaborative effort by faculty to develop a successful online master’s degree in retailing and tourism management.

During her time at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Jackson has worked with the Office of Diversity in CAFE to create and implement a mentoring program for faculty. She has also worked to develop a four-module course on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the classroom.

We greatly appreciate Dr. Jackson’s willingness to serve as acting associate vice president/associate provost for diverse faculty success. In this role, we are confident that she will help advance a diverse and inclusive environment for all the university’s academic areas. She possesses the necessary experience in developing effective DEI initiatives for faculty and has proven to be a strong, collaborative leader with a commitment to inclusive excellence, quality, exceptional service, productivity and continuous improvement.

Celebrate their stories OID Spotlights

It is a great honor to join the Big Blue Nation. Kentucky has ambitious and audacious diversity, equity and inclusion goals. I am thrilled to be in partnership with the ongoing efforts of creating and enhancing a culture of belonging.

Dr. Katrice A. Albert

UK Vice President for Institutional Diversity

National Leader Named UK Vice President for Institutional Diversity

WUKY 'One On One' With UK Vice President For Institutional Diversity Dr. Katrice Albert

PODCAST 'Behind the Blue': UK’s New Vice President for Institutional Diversity Katrice A. Albert

Diverse Issues in Higher Education Promoting Diversity in Higher Education with Dr. Katrice Albert

Meet the Team Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives (CGPDI)

The Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives focuses on recruiting diverse graduate and professional students in UK's six health colleges and retaining diverse graduate and professional students in all nineteen colleges, contributing to an inclusive campus environment where all students can fully engage and succeed. These are the people deeply committed to supporting our students and helping them determine their next steps to lifelong success.

Visit CGPDI's website for more information

John Blaine (he/him)

Director of the Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives

Email: j.blaine@uky.edu

David Robinson (he/him)

Samantha Bryant (she/her)

Assistant Director of Recruitment and Outreach

Samantha J. Bryant is a passionate Kentucky native from a small rural town in Breathitt County. Dr. Bryant attended Morehead State University where she completed an educational doctorate (Ed.D) degree with a research emphasis on success strategies for historically underrepresented students. This area of interest is personal to Dr. Bryant, who is the first in her family to go to college. Samantha is a TRIO alumna and spent the last four years serving as Associate Director with the Upward Bound Programs at Morehead State University. Dr. Bryant has presented her research at several regional conferences including Eastern Kentucky University’s inaugural FirstGen conference, has also been published in the Community College Enterprise, and lobbies with TRIO leadership to increase support and funding for marginalized students throughout the nation.

Celebrate Their Stories CGPDI Spotlights

Change is slow. It's incremental, it takes time. But if we have people on the front line, if we have people opening doors for other underrepresented minorities, if we have people who can lead and show the path forward, that's how change becomes permanent.

John Blaine

Director of the Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives

UKNow Article CGPDI Spotlight: John Blaine

DEI is about showing up as authentically as possible to the point where people can feel safe or brave enough to be who they are around you.

Letitia Tajuba

Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement

meet the team Inclusive Excellence and Diversity Education (IEDE)

Inclusive Excellence and Diversity Education serves the university as a centralized educational unit for expanding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Their work is rooted in an organized effort to create a campus community invested in exposing, challenging and minimizing the effects of interpersonal and institutionalized discrimination. These are the people who are helping the University of Kentucky grow.

Visit IEDE's website for more information

celebrate their stories IEDE Spotlights

Podcast Behind the Blue with Rae Loftis and Nicole Martin

two students walking down a hallway with large windows

The Lane Report Article The Lane Report with Brittany Gollihue and Nicole Martin

meet the team Martin Luther King Jr. Center (MLK Center)

Since January of 1987, the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center has provided space, programming and a community for underserved populations at the University of Kentucky. From their humble beginnings in an old utility closet, to being centralized in the Gatton Student Center, the MLK Center remains a pillar on our campus. These are the people who carry on this legacy of service and undeniable care for UK students.

Visit MLK Center's website for more information

Ja'Mahl McDaniel (he/him)

Director

In his role as director, Ja'Mahl collaborates with the King Center team in creating programs and campus-wide initiatives for the UK community. Ja’Mahl brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to King Center having facilitated dialogues and diversity trainings and possesses a plethora of other skills. As a proud of alum of UK, Ja’Mahl is determined to be an advocate and change agent for students as they pursue their education.

Email: jamahl.mcdaniel@uky.edu

Jasmine Prince (she/her)

Associate Director

Jasmine is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and is a proud alum of the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she earned her bachelor's in Psychology. Jasmine also holds a master's in College Student Affairs from the University of South Florida. Throughout her career in higher education, Jasmine has led programs and initiatives centered on student success, diversity education, social justice, student organization development and leadership development. In her role as associate director, she supports the director with strategic planning, supervises the King Center interns and leads programs with a variety of campus partners. She is dedicated to helping students find space to thrive as they navigate their collegiate journey.

Email: jasmine.prince@uky.edu

woman in black glasses, black blazer and white shirt smiling for photo — Melody Hall

***Administrative Support Associate***

Melody is an integral part of the MLK Center. She supports the director and both professional staff team members as an office manager. Melody has worked for UK for 15 years and earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Environmental Sciences, now the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. She also completed the three UK business certifications in 2016. She is located in the Gatton Student Center. Furthermore, one of her greatest achievements was being commissioned to be a Kentucky Colonel in 2016. This is very important to her because making a difference in the community is one of her top priorities. Lastly, she loves working with students and making a difference in their lives.

celebrate their stories MLK Center Spotlights

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is and should be everyone's job, but I am glad that through this role I will be able to help lead the charge towards providing spaces for dialogue, education and opportunities to dive deeper in this work.

man in glasses and blazer laughing outside

Ja'Mahl McDaniel

Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center

UKNow Article Ja’Mahl McDaniel to Lead UK MLK Center

meet the team Office of Community Engagement | Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)

The Office of Community Engagement's mission is to support and create community engagement opportunities that meet the economic, health and educational needs of our community.

Visit the Office of Community Engagement's website for more information

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UK offers educational and enrichment courses, forums, shared interest groups, trips, events and more for adults 50 years and older. More than 1,500 adult learners participate annually. The University of Kentucky has been at the forefront nationally in lifelong learning since 1964. The OLLI at UK has sites in Lexington and Morehead.

Visit OLLI's website for more information

Lisa Higgins-Hord (she/her)

Assistant Vice President

Lisa Higgins-Hord (she/her) has held several positions at UK and is currently the Assistant Vice President for Community Engagement at the University of Kentucky. In this role, she develops, implements and assesses significant community based projects that create robust partnerships between the University community (faculty, students and staff) and local, state and regional constituencies. The responsibilities within the University Community Engagement department include the AmeriCorps VISTA Program and the Office of Lifelong Learning.

Lisa serves as DEI Executive Sponsor for the Community Outreach Workstream.

Lisa is active in many state and local activities. Currently, Lisa serves on the Bank of the Bluegrass & Trust Board, Blue Grass Community Foundation Board, Carnegie Center for Literacy Board and the Town Branch Project (Town Branch Partner). She is also a partner of the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Consortium at the University of Kentucky which provides training, access and opportunities for faculty and their classes regarding community projects.

Lisa was born in Harlan County, Kentucky and raised in Lexington. Lisa continued her education at the University of Kentucky where she received her Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree. Lisa is a graduate of the Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement’s Academy for Leaders at Virginia Tech. She is also a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa, National Honor Leadership Society.