Joshua Dodds, M.Ed., Fitchburg State University’s first executive director of diversity, equity and belonging programs, seeks to foster an environment where all perspectives are heard and valued.
“I have learned the campus experience is what you make it,” Dodds said. “If you can’t find that experience, you have to create it.”
Dodds found his own voice as an advocate when he was an undergraduate student at another institution. Several fellow Black students had been in an encounter with police that was exacerbated by cultural misunderstanding, he recalled, and he was called upon to speak on their behalf.
That began what has become a 15-year career in DEI work, and a calling Dodds sees as critical amid a national conversation around the topic that has created further misunderstandings.
“Right now we’re in a period of re-education about DEI,” he said. “It’s about recognizing socioeconomic status and identity. We all embody diversity. Belonging means being at the table, and also feeling welcome at the table. It means we need everybody at the table in order for all of us to have the same vision. These perspectives coming together will help us have a better perspective on life.”
Dodds brings experience in corporate and educational settings to his expanded role at Fitchburg State. He holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His national memberships include designation as a Leadership Fellows Diversity Mentor with the National Association of Campus Activities, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
University President Donna Hodge, who joined the Fitchburg State community this summer as its 12th president, said she wanted the next leader of the campus’s longstanding Center for Diversity and Inclusiveness to embrace a more holistic vision of DEI and belonging work, serving the entire campus population rather than focusing on the student experience.
“Fitchburg State will rise depending on our ability to create and foster a campus where all students feel they are welcomed to pursue their highest aspirations for themselves,” Hodge said. “I believe Josh will help drive the conversations among our students, faculty, librarians and staff members that will make that vision a reality.”
Dodds said he was grateful for the opportunity. “I credit the university leadership for not being afraid to create a position of this caliber in this political climate,” he said. “My hope is that when people think of DEI work, they will look here as an example of how to do it right.”