Recipients of the eighth annual Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award for University of Michigan staff were celebrated Tuesday at a breakfast ceremony at the Michigan Union.
The award recognizes individual staff members and teams for their extraordinary commitment and dedication to diversity at U-M.
Pamela Heatlie, senior associate director of the Office for Institutional Equity, served as master of ceremonies and recognized the outstanding support of Robert Sellers, vice provost for equity, inclusion and chief diversity officer, and Laurita Thomas, associate vice president for human resources.
Established in 2008 as a collaboration between Thomas and former Senior Vice Provost Lester Monts, the award is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and University Human Resources, and administered by the Office of Institutional Equity.
The award provides a monetary prize — $1,000 for individuals, $2,500 for teams — to be used toward professional development activities. Staff members on all campuses and in the U-M Health System are eligible.