The Office of Diversity at ASU recently received a new name and is now under new leadership. Senior director Kamala started her position Sept. 20 at the school’s newly titled Office of Equity and Inclusion. “She’s going to fit right into the culture at ASU … she’s got the right style and temperament to work with students and staff,” said Kevin Salcido, the assistant president of ASU’s Human Resources. Green has about 15 years of experience in the field, primarily resolving discrimination and harassment charges. She is the first senior director for the Office of Equity and Inclusion, which has been at ASU underneath Human Resources in some facet for the past 12 to 15 years, Salcido said. The Office of Equity and Inclusion deals with hiring, pay practices and promotions, as well as investigates claims of harassment and discrimination, including the American with Disabilities Act and Title IX cases. Under Title IX, the office handles cases dealing with sexual, racial and religious discrimination. “This office is independent from the administration … it should be looked at as neutral,” Green said. Salcido said there are only three paid employees at the Office of Equity and Inclusion, which means they each have many responsibilities. At one time, there were as many as seven employees in the office, but the recession took a toll on them, just like it did for many other organizations at ASU. Before, the office simply had an assistant director position, which, Salcido said required less experience. Also, people in senior director positions are usually deeper into their career. “We’re really excited to have her here … she’s got the perfect combination of being professional and personal,” said Lisa Phalen, senior director in Human Resources. The process of finding someone to take the new senior director position took nine months of searching, Salcido said. Human Resources received more than 100 applications for the position, and the search team brought five or six people to ASU to be interviewed. Before coming to ASU, Green worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, for 11 years, where most recently she served as the senior manager of the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action department. “She has the potential to be a national leader in this field in higher education,” Salcido said. Green hopes the office can grow in the next few years, as it takes on more responsibilities and encompasses broader functions. “These first couple of weeks are about getting settled and trying to find places that could be improved [at ASU],” Green said. Green said she wanted to come to ASU because of the opportunities available, and she already wanted to move to Arizona. The first thing Green has talked about improving is the collecting and recording of data from around ASU, as well as integrating the department with the different campuses. Despite her short time at ASU, Phalen said Green has already made a positive impact.
Reach the reporter at connor.radnovich@asu.edu
