Re: Interim Chief Diversity Officer
To: All campus
Sept. 13, 2021
UC Merced welcomes Cecil Howard, J.D., as interim chief diversity officer. He will serve while a search advisory committee works to identify the university’s next vice chancellor/chief diversity officer.
Cecil was most recently associate vice president and chief diversity officer for the 53,000-student University of South Florida system. He also has been executive director of social equity and Title IX coordinator for Shippensburg University, chief diversity officer for the city of Gainesville, Fla., and chief legal counsel for the Florida Commission on Human Relations.
He holds a J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and a B.S. from Florida State University.
"We're delighted to have the opportunity to work closely with Cecil Howard in this important leadership role," said Teenie Matlock, vice provost for academic personnel, who chairs the search advisory committee. "He has a strong track record initiating and maintaining inclusive excellence in many corners of academia. Our students, staff and faculty will benefit greatly from his capable leadership and vision."
Members of the campus community are invited to meet Cecil via virtual monthly drop-in hours during fall semester. Please go here for more details and to reserve a date and time.
He succeeds the university’s inaugural chief diversity officer, Dania Matos, who recently accepted a position at UC Berkeley.
