2024 DEI Forum

Elizabeth Umphress

Dr. Umphress is a Professor of Management and holds the William D. Bradford Endowed Professorship at the University of Washington. She received her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her PhD in Organizational Behavior from Tulane University.  

Under the rubric of social justice research, Dr. Umphress pursues three primary branches of inquiry: diversity, ethics and organizational justice. Dr. Umphress teaches Dynamics of Negotiations and Ethical Leadership to executive and masters students MBAs at the University of Washington. She has extensive consulting and executive education experience. She has conducted executive education programs for companies. She specializes in teaching executives Inclusive Leadership, Strategic Communications and Negotiations, and Ethical Leadership. Her consulting work focuses on helping employees feel included, empowered, and more productive in the workplace. She has worked with companies such as Microsoft, NASA, Citigroup, and Lockheed Martin.  

To date, in collaboration with co-authors, she has published thirty-one peer-reviewed research articles. Regarding teaching, she has received various teaching awards including the Hybrid MBA Excellence in Teaching Award (2023, 2022, 2020), Professor of the Year for Master of Science in Entrepreneurship (2019) and the Evening MBA (2014) programs. She is committed to teaching and mentoring doctoral students, exemplified by authoring sixteen publications with current or former doctoral students. She also provides important service to her profession, including being a former Associate Editor for the Academy of Management Journal. 

Ujima Sands

Ujima Sands is the Assistant Vice President of UW Total Talent Management and Inclusion Strategist for UW Human Resources. She has served as the lead facilitator for the award-winning Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) for the past 15 years while also frequently being called upon as a consultant and sounding board for UW leaders and organizations. Ujima came to the University of Washington after 15 years at SeaFirst/Bank of America, where she last served as an assistant vice president for Training & Development. She has expertise in leadership development, coaching, consulting, facilitation, and training; change management; diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting; staff development; and organizational development. Although Ujima wears a number of hats, she has long since been a champion and important voice for DEI at UW as well as other communities and organizations in which she engages. Ujima brings her experience coaching and facilitating people through change to her work in DEI and sees the capacity to and for change as key in the ongoing work of systemic equity. She enjoys being a thought partner and collaborator as she helps position individuals and teams for success. 

Kamal Carter

Kamal Carter is a scientist, an activist, an educator and a management consultant. Kamal brings more than 25 years of corporate development and growth strategy experience. He has held multiple global leadership positions at leading companies. What he is most proud of is walking away from millions of dollars to serve as a high school chemistry teacher at an inner city school in Atlanta. For more than a decade, Mr. Carter has pioneered innovative strategies in education. He co-wrote a script for a PBS science show which he also stars in. He has been a National Institute of Health (NIH) Research Fellow and a member of the State of Georgia Superintendent’s Teachers Advisory Council. Kamal graduated from Hampton University with a Biology Pre-Med degree. He turned down two full scholarships to medical school to pursue his passion in business, community development, and science education. Kamal Carter is chairman of the board of Step Ahead Scholars, Inc., a nonprofit he co-founded 10 years ago whose mission is to eradicate college access inequality.

Robin Martin

Dr. Robin Martin serves as the President/CEO of Navigating Courage, bringing with her over two decades of experience in guiding both individuals and organizations in the realms of social impact investment and higher education. Her primary focus centers on seamlessly integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into strategy and leadership development to drive transformative change.

Dr. Martin is recognized for her strategic acumen, skill in building systems, and her role as a catalyst for change. She has thrived in high-pressure roles, ranging from the sidelines to executive boardrooms. Her remarkable career includes a stint as the former Deputy Director of Strategy, Planning, and Management at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In this role, she oversaw the operational and financial aspects of the Postsecondary Success team, managing a $128 million strategic fund aimed at transforming colleges and universities nationwide. Her leadership was instrumental in enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness to further the foundation’s mission.

During her tenure at the Gates Foundation, Dr. Martin orchestrated its largest gift within the U.S. Program division’s history: a $15 million grant to Historically Black Colleges & Universities. This grant was dedicated to supporting COVID-19 diagnostic testing and technology, enabling these institutions to reopen and assist their surrounding communities safely.

With a track record spanning over two decades in higher education and philanthropy, including roles as a former Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Cincinnati, Director of Athletics, and tenure-track faculty member, Dr. Martin possesses a unique ability to integrate strategy, leadership, and equity seamlessly. Her expertise has been instrumental in transforming organizations and individuals on a global scale.

Drawing on her extensive research, Dr. Martin recently introduced a groundbreaking approach to leadership known as the Navigating Courage Framework. This framework emerged in response to the growing demand for practical support and resources to help leaders and organizations navigate courageously. Grounded in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which translates to “I am because you are,” this framework comprises four core principles: Be Human, Be in Community, Be Curious, and Be Courageous. Together, these principles shift teams from individualistic thinking to collective success, significantly accelerating their impact. The Navigating Courage framework, pioneered by Dr. Martin, seeks to normalize courage at all levels within organizations and communities.

Dr. Martin holds a doctoral degree in Urban Education Leadership from the University of Cincinnati. In 2018, she authored the book “Navigating Courage: Leading Beyond Fear.” This collection of narratives and insights, drawn from her own experiences, academic research, and humanism, offers a fresh perspective on the challenges faced by women of color and minorities in the workplace, providing practical strategies for managing them.

With her extensive expertise and unwavering commitment to transformative leadership, Dr. Robin Martin continues to make a profound impact, empowering organizations and individuals to navigate complex landscapes with courage and compassion.

Maja Pašović

Maja Pašović (she/her/hers), MA, M.Ed., is the Research Manager on the Clinical Informatics and the Non-fatal and Risks Quality Enhancement (NFRQE) teams at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). In this role, she manages and coordinates projects aimed at improving non-fatal data coverage in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), and works with a team of research and data scientists, post-docs, and senior faculty on improvements to health metrics methodologies and disease modeling used in the GBD Study, with the aim of enhancing the study’s precision and applicability. Additionally, she sits as Co-Chair on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council at IHME, working closely with the Chief Diversity Officer and the DEI Program Officer to advance DEI at the organizational level. Apart from this, Maja also leads and manages the work of Rainbow IHME, an employee resource group for the LGBTQIA2S+ identifying staff and allies. In her previous roles at IHME, she managed the strategic work of a global GBD Collaborator Network, as well as country/regional collaborations and partnerships in the European Region and Central Asia. Prior to joining IHME, Maja worked at the National Alliance for Caregiving in Washington D.C., and the UNICEF Country Office in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Originally from Sarajevo, she earned her M.Ed. at the University of Sarajevo, and an MA at the University of Waterloo, Canada. In her spare time, Maja enjoys learning a new language (currently she speaks 9 languages), reading, cooking and trying out new recipes, doing wildlife photography, and exploring the magnificent nature and national parks across the U.S. with her spouse.  

 What DEI means to me: Having grown up in Sarajevo, a city defined by a plurality of ethnic groups, languages, and religions, has taught me that diversity is beautiful, equity is essential, and inclusion is a basic human need. 

Sasha Duttchoudhury

Sasha Duttchoudhury is the Program Operations Specialist at the UW Resilience Lab. In this role, Sasha supports our BeREAL and Resistance through Resilience Offerings to staff, and facilitates learning opportunities related to well-being and mindfulness. Outside of their work at the Lab, Sasha is a therapist in private practice, organizational facilitator, and UW Study Abroad support staff. 

Fun Fact: Sasha is always looking to try something that scares them- from singing to rock climbing!

Tyneshia Valdez

Tyneshia Valdez is currently a staff member and 1st generation alumni of the University of Washington. She is facilitator of the Be REAL program, and has a strong passion for promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across campus. Tyneshia is strongly committed to DEIB work and hopes that everyone can work together to cultivate systemic change.

Thomas Jacob

Based in Bremerton, WA, Thomas Jacob is a seasoned consultant, educator, and IT professional with a rich background in Information Technology, Education, and Organizational Change Management. His education includes BSBA (Information Systems), an MBA (Technology Management), and an EdS (Education Technology). He recently worked in the UW Finance Transformation Technology Pillar as Sr Organizational Change Management Lead where he and his team worked closely with UW IT leadership and management to help technologists and Finance personnel adopt new finance systems. As a cofounder of Hatpin Revolution, he is dedicated to enhancing leadership and change capabilities within educational, governmental, and private sectors. 

With a passionate commitment to fostering inclusive environments, he has developed comprehensive programs aimed at advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion among managers. His initiatives are designed to equip leaders with the tools necessary to embrace and champion diversity within their organizations, ensuring a more equitable and inclusive culture. His extensive experience allows me to speak authoritatively on leadership, technology, science, education, neurodiversity, and change management, making me a valued resource and advocate for transformative organizational practices. 

Michelle Purnell-Hepburn

Michelle Purnell-Hepburn serves is the Associate Dean of Inclusion & Diversity at the UW Foster School of Business. Prior to this she held the following positions:

1. Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Director and Managing Director, Controller at
the Seattle Foundation;
2. Vice-President/Controller of Salal Credit Union;
3. SVP/Chief Financial Officer at Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union; and,
4. Vice-President of Finance at Group Health Credit Union.

Ms. Purnell-Hepburn earned:

● Bachelor of Arts – Finance and Business Economics, UW Foster School
● Masters of Business Administration – Finance and Accounting, from the UW Foster School
● Credit Union Management Degree – Pomona College
● Certified Credit Union Executive degree – UP Wharton School, Johnson School at Cornell, and UV Darden.

Fun facts:

● Born in Seattle
● Very happily married, two stepsons, and a goddaughter
● A vocalist and a student of hula

Rickey Hall

Rickey Hall was appointed as the eighth vice president for minority affairs and diversity and the university diversity officer at the University of Washington effective Aug. 1, 2016.

Hall leads the university’s equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging efforts, and plays a key role in advancing institutional excellence. He has oversight of the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) which administers programs that broaden college access, support student success and enhance diversity-related teaching and learning across campus. As the university diversity officer, Hall also works collaboratively with and serves as a resource for the UW campuses, colleges and administrative units as they establish, coordinate and assess their contributions to institutional diversity goals.

Hall has over 25 years of experience in higher education and is involved with a number of national organizations including the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and a trustee on the ACPA College Student Educators International Foundation board.

Hall came to the UW after serving as the inaugural vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for three years. Prior to that role, he served for six years as the assistant vice president for equity and diversity at the University of Minnesota.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies and a master’s degree in higher education, both from the University of Iowa.

Maya Smith

Maya Angela Smith is the inaugural Associate Dean for Equity, Justice, and Inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences and an Associate Professor of French at the University of Washington. Her scholarship broadly focuses on the intersection of racial and linguistic identity formations among marginalized groups in the African diaspora, particularly in the postcolonial Francophone world. 

Elavie Ndura

Elavie Ndura serves as Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion and holds faculty rank of professor of education with tenure. Her leadership focus is to collaborate with campus and community partners to foster a learning and working environment where all students and employees feel safe and welcomed so that they can bring their authentic best selves to campus and thrive in realizing their academic and professional dreams.