Who We Are

Anita Davis, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Anita Davis serves as the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Trinity College. In this role, she collaborates with various campus stakeholders to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion goals into processes, policies, and initiatives in all areas of the College. She provides leadership to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which includes Multicultural Affairs, the Office of Title IX, the Queer Resource Center, and the Women and Gender Resource Action Center. Dr. Davis also provides joint leadership, along with the Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, to the Office of Human Resources.

Dr. Davis joined Trinity College in September 2018, coming from the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS), where she served as Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the consortium of 16 colleges and universities. Before ACS, she was a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where she also served for seven years as an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and as the Inaugural Director of the African American Studies Program for five years.

A member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) and the Liberal Arts Diversity Officers (LADO), Davis holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in clinical/community psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.A. from Rhodes College.

Pamela Whitley, Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Compliance

Pamela Whitley serves as Trinity’s inaugural Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Compliance where she will provide strategic leadership to Trinity’s ongoing efforts to create a campus culture that is welcoming, safe, and inclusive for all students, faculty, and staff. Ms. Whitley brings broad and varied experiences in the areas of Title IX, compliance, and DEI to Trinity.

Ms. Whitley joined Trinity College in July 2021 from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), where she served as the Associate Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX officer. Her responsibilities included overseeing the investigation process for sexual harassment, discrimination, and Title IX complaints; providing leadership, coordination, and oversight of the university’s Affirmative Action Plan; and coordinating campus wide cultural events to promote equity and inclusion. Her experiences in higher education spans from technical colleges to public and private institutions in Connecticut, Washington, DC and South Carolina where she provided leadership in investigations and Title IX processes, DEI initiatives, first-year programs, academic advisement and international admissions.

A member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) and the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA), Whitley holds a M.Ed. in counseling from Howard University and a B.S. from Voorhees College.

Carol Correa de Best, Director of Multicultural Affairs

Carol T. Correa de Best serves as the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Trinity College. She provides direct supervision for the Office’s Program Assistant and student staff. Ms. Correa de Best also provides oversight for three cultural houses – A.A.S.A. House (held in trust by the Asian American Students Association), Umoja House (held in trust by Imani — the Black Student Union, T.C.B.W.O., the Trinity College Black Women’s Organization, and M.O.C.A., the Men of Color Alliance), and La Eracra (held in trust by La Voz Latina). Ms. Correa de Best facilitates leadership development and staff support for student organizations as well as coordinates the office’s outreach program for first-year students, P.R.I.D.E., Promoting Respect for Inclusive Diversity in Education, ensuring that the program’s peer leaders help create a positive environment where new students can develop both personally and academically.

An educator with over twenty years’ experience, Ms. Correa’s portfolio includes student development, with an emphasis on the issues facing U. S. students of color and international students, diversity training, event planning, teaching, curriculum development, arts in education, and student leadership development.

Ms. Correa de Best earned an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Capital Community College, a B.A. in History and Educational Studies and an M.A. in American Studies, with a concentration in Museums and Communities, from Trinity College. She is a Board Member for S.O.A.R., the Society Organized Against Racism. She enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering as a gardener for the Friends of Elizabeth Park, and the serving as a tour guide for Hartford Walking Tours.

Robert Cotto, Jr. Director, DEI Campus and Community Engagement

As the Director of DEI Campus and Community Engagement, Robert provides leadership and learning for DEI programs aimed at engaging with the campus and broader community. He also leads connections between DEI and other key offices across campus in support of institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with partnerships with other institutions on related initiatives. Previously, he served as the Director of Urban Educational Initiatives, Hartford Trinity College Magnet Academy (HMTCA) Partnership, and a Community Fellow with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Robert is also a scholar of education history and policy in urban social contexts. His scholarship draws on mixed-method analysis that focuses on intersection of schools, Black and Latino communities, and urban development in the past and present times. In addition to being a former history and social studies teacher, he successfully defended his dissertation as a Ph.D. candidate in the Learning, Leadership, and Education Policy program at University of Connecticut Neag School of Education (Summer 2022). Learn more about his background, teaching, and scholarship here.

Jared Delane, Program Coordinator for P.R.I.D.E. and Cultural House Coordinator, Multicultural Affairs

Serves as the Program Coordinator for the P.R.I.D.E. (Promoting Respect for Inclusive Diversity in Education) program . He directly oversees all programming involving student P.R.I.D.E. Leaders and Cultural House activities. Prior to Trinity, Jared served as a Program Coordinator in The Office of Multicultural Affairs at Worcester State University. He graduated from the University of Connecticut ‘17 with a double Bachelor’s Degree in Psychological Sciences and Sociology. While as student at UConn, Jared also competed as a Division I Track & Field athlete for four years.

Laura R. Lockwood, Director of Women & Gender Resource Action Center

Laura Lockwood has served as the director of the Women & Gender Resource Action Center (WGRAC) at Trinity College since 1998. She earned a B.A. in urban studies with a minor in history from the University of Connecticut. Her M.A. in public policy and law with a concentration in international women’s issues was completed while serving as the education director of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) in Hartford. Lockwood taught sociology at the University of Hartford and Capital Community College and served as an organizing consultant for the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. She also served as the executive director of community-based organizations in New Haven and New Britain. As a certified facilitator she participated in Trinity’s Conversations on Race in the early 2000s. She has volunteered locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2016, Lockwood received Trinity College’s Trustee Award for Staff Excellence. Laura can be reached at [email protected].

Shannon Lynch, Title IX Coordinator

Shannon Lynch serves as the Title IX Coordinator at Trinity College. In this position, she fosters Trinity’s mission to create a campus culture that is welcoming and inclusive, as well as supporting the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s initiatives. Mrs. Lynch is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Title IX regulations and Trinity’s Sexual Harassment Policy, including robust trainings and education, and the administration of grievance procedures for students, faculty, staff, and other members of the College community. Mrs. Lynch works in collaboration with Campus Safety, Student Success and Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, and other college departments.

Prior to her arrival at Trinity College in November of 2021, Mrs. Lynch was the Litigation Specialist at a boutique law firm in Springfield, Massachusetts. Mrs. Lynch earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Rowan University in 2016 and her Juris Doctorate from Western New England University School of Law in 2019, where she was an active employee in the General Counsel and Title IX Office.

As a member of the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) and volunteer legal representative on the Human Rights Committee for the May Institute, Mrs. Lynch is an advocate for education, equity, and compliance throughout higher education and for disabled individuals.

Crystal Nieves, Director of LGBTQ+ Life / Queer Resource Center

Crystal is a class of 2008 Trinity College alum receiving a B.A. in Public Policy and Law and Human Rights Studies and is currently completing her M.A. in Public Policy.

She is excited to return to the Trinity community to serve as the Director of LGBTQ+ Life providing leadership to the Queer Resource Center and serving as a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ equity, access, and inclusion.

Crystal has over 13 years of professional experience serving in leadership roles for higher education LGBTQ+ student support services, programming, and policy development. She returns to Trinity after four years serving as the Assistant Director of the historic Stonewall Center at UMASS Amherst. Prior to her work at the Stonewall Center, Crystal served as the inaugural half-time coordinator of the Trinity Queer Resource Center (QRC) under the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Over those nine years Crystal was able to bring a student-led proposal for the QRC to life providing renewed institutional support for LGBTQ+ students and opportunities for staff, faculty, and student education on matters of LGBTQ+ inclusion. During six of the nine years at Trinity, Crystal worked concurrently as the half-time coordinator of the LGBT Center at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) under their office of Student Activities and Leadership Development where she expanded the center’s programs and presence as a resource on campus and directed intentional and emergent Trans inclusion policies for CCSU.

Crystal is a proud first gen, Latina, queer, gender non-conforming, woman who hopes to be resource for many students on campus. She is a longtime member of the National Consortium for LGBTQ+ Higher Education Resource Professionals, is a Safe Zone Member trainer, and is certified in Mental Health First Aid.

In addition to general LGBTQ+ community support and education, some of her unique interest areas include a focus on intersectional programming, community building opportunities for Queer and Trans Students of Color, improving connections and collaborations with campus partners and cultural centers, and initiatives around intersectionality and intentional allyship.

Kim O’Brien, Training and Program Coordinator

Kim serves as the Training and Program Coordinator working in the Women and Gender Resource Action Center (WGRAC) as well as the Queer Resource Center (QRC). Kim joined the Trinity Community in 2022 and is excited to begin her work with Trinity students. As the Training and Program Coordinator, Kim will work with student organizations in both the WGRAC and QRC to provide leadership training, advising, and guidance. Her role also facilitates the delivery of educational programs around topics such as gender identity and expression, safe and consensual sex, serving traditionally underrepresented communities, and opportunities for all Trinity students to have a place to feel safe and welcomed.

Kim is a Connecticut native and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Southern Connecticut State University and a Master of Education degree in Counseling with a focus on Higher Education from Springfield College. Kim’s began her journey in Higher Education in Residence Life and has worked previously at Springfield College, Quinnipiac University, and most recently Southern Connecticut State University. Serving as a direct contact to students in Residence Life and in an on-call capacity has helped Kim to understand the nuances in supporting students through an array different life experience.

Through her work in WGRAC and the QRC, Kim is looking forward to supporting Trinity students.

Renita Washington, Program Assistant, Office of Multicultural Affairs

Renita is a graduate of Class of 2022 with a degree in Educational Studies with a focus on Early Childhood and Prison Education. During her time here at Trinity she served as the Multicultural Affairs Council Vice President of SGA (2 years) and was a part of Temple of Hip Hop (4 years) and Gospel Choir (3years).

Renita will be serving as a program assistant for OMA assisting with MAC organization and major events. Although she is originally from “the windy city” (Chicago) she loves Hartford so make sure you ask her about her favorite spots.

Judy Grote, Executive Assistant

Judy provides direct support to the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as the Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications. She is originally from south Florida and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.

Judy joined Trinity College in May 2021 from Savannah College of Art and Design but started working at higher education institutions at the UConn Foundation.