Diversity director at CU School of Medicine interviewing for vice provost role

LAWRENCE — Regina Richards, inaugural director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, will take part in interviews as a candidate for vice provost for diversity & equity at the University of Kansas.

Richards, whose interview schedule with campus constituents takes place Monday, April 27, and Tuesday, April 28, is one of three finalists for the position.

A recorded video presentation from the candidate’s interview process will be made available for campus community members to view shortly after all candidates have completed their interview presentations. Richard’s CV is available for review, and faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit their impressions and feedback through the online evaluation form on the search webpage by May 15. The remaining candidate interview will take place:

• Candidate 3, Thursday and Friday, April 30-May 1.

The vice provost for diversity & equity facilitates the coordination of campuswide diversity initiatives, strategic planning, training, education, research, community relations, policy development, compliance, campus climate issues and communications. Moreover, the vice provost works across all academic and operational units to strengthen a campuswide culture of inclusive excellence and to connect these units with the resources, training and strategies they need to achieve their specific diversity, equity and inclusion goals. Offices reporting to the vice provost include the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity, the Center for Sexuality & Gender Diversity and the Multicultural Scholars Program.

Richards currently serves as the inaugural director of diversity and inclusion at CU SOM. Her tenure includes serving seven years as program manager for the B.A./B.S.-M.D. program, a combined pipeline program to medical school for diverse Colorado high school students. In addition, she serves an active member on the CU SOM admissions team, a member of the CU LEADS Track faculty team. In 2019 she was named an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine. She developed the Race in Medicine elective course and co-teaches in the newly developed COVID-19 elective. She has been an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, teaching multicultural social work practice and community theories and practice. She has served multiple years as a field supervisor and mentor to MSW students at both the University of Denver and Colorado State University.

Richards is involved in a wide range of leadership and service activities in higher education and the community. She recently served as co-chair of the Cultural Competency Committee for the Region VIII Health Equity Committee and currently serves as faculty mentor for the CU chapters of Student National Medical Association, Latino Medical Student Association and White Coats 4 Black Lives Chapter. With students she co-founded the “So What, Now What” Series in partnership with the Denver Boys and Girls Club, which engages participants in leadership development, exposure to medical students and experiential learning on the medical school campus. Richards is co-founder of the Four Corners Collaborative Pre-Admissions Workshop, which targets American Indian and Alaskan Native/indigenous students in partnership with the Association of American Indian Physicians. She serves on the Cross-Cultural Communications Committee of Children’s Hospital Colorado and the hospital’s Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Faculty. She is co-leader on the Dean’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and the CU System Committee for Racial Equity. In addition, she has been appointed to the CU School of Public Health’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board.

Her research interests include areas of community engagement and best practices to increase equity and eliminate racism and disparities in health care and education; as well as recruitment, retention and inclusion practices and for minority faculty, residents, students and staff, and understanding the role of sense of belonging for under-represented minorities in higher education institutions.

She has received several honors and in April was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society recognizing her for her leadership and teaching. In 2015 she received the Outstanding Partnership award from the Colorado Black Health Collaborative. In 2013 she was nominated by the Denver Public Library for the 2013 Juanita Ross Gray Community Service Award. In addition, she received the Dr. Justina Ford Outstanding Partnership awards in 2011 and 2013 from the Colorado Black American West Museum representing the relationship she worked to build with community and the CU SOM.

Richards received an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and a master’s degree from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work with a concentration in community and leadership development. Richards completed her doctorate at Colorado State University in the School of Social Work with a concentration in social work and higher education.

The vice provost search committee – led by co-chairs Sarah Deer, professor of women, gender & sexuality studies, and D.A. Graham, university ombuds – will involve a wide variety of campus groups in the interview process to ensure broad campus input. For more information about the position, its responsibilities and the search committee, please visit the position overview page.