Donors support new diversity staff position

Tufts School of Engineering recently hired Edward Alexander Jr. as the school’s first Diversity Program Administrator (DPA). The DPA position was created thanks to the generosity of two anonymous donors who stepped up to help the university foster a more diverse and inclusive community.

Alexander will be a staff member in the Center for STEM Diversity (CSD) and will work directly with his sponsoring departments, the Departments of Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, as a resource for students, staff, and faculty. He will help facilitate diversity and inclusion initiatives and related programming within these departments, the CSD, and the School of Engineering. His newly created position is an important step forward in the university’s commitment to being an anti-racist institution.

Before arriving at Tufts, Alexander generated diversity education materials and provided strategic support for institutions of higher learning and municipal governments. He spent two years as a program assistant for the Student Life Office at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, where he supported dozens of student-led clubs and large-scale event programming. He also collaborated with departments, student organizations, and campus diversity centers to develop diversity trainings for students and staff.

Earlier in his career, Alexander worked as a diversity and inclusion fellow for the City of South Bend, Indiana in Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s office. His duties included supporting the implementation of the city’s executive order for the development of an inclusive economy. Alexander also spent two years working in the tech sector at Spotify, which bolstered his personal insight into the experiences of people of color in industry.

The CSD and the School of Engineering are pleased to welcome Edward Alexander Jr. to the community at Tufts. He can be reached on the main floor of Sococo or at Ed.Alexander@tufts.edu.