Rebecca Mattis-Pinard Named Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer
Mattis-Pinard’s title has changed to Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer to reflect the College’s commitment to ensuring that students, faculty, and staff of all identities, especially underrepresented identities, have access to the resources and support structures needed to fully grow, contribute, and develop at MMC. Rebecca continues to serve as the College’s Title IX Coordinator, a role in which she oversees the implementation of the Title IX civil rights law intended to provide equal access and a safe environment regardless of sex or gender (information on Title IX reporting is at the end of this message). In addition, Rebecca currently serves as MMC’s Incident Commander, with responsibility for leading the Emergency Response Team in managing all aspects of the College’s response to high-alert emergencies and incidents.
For over a decade, Rebecca has been an active changemaker in the vital work of equity and social justice—as a dedicated leader, teacher, counselor, and advisor to students, faculty, and staff alike. Indeed, she has been a beacon of clarity and openness for our community as we have worked to create an anti-racist culture in the midst of tragic, ongoing, and violent racist acts across our country.
As MMC’s Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer, Mattis-Pinard partners with students, faculty, and staff to promote a campus culture in which each of us actively acknowledges our unintentional biases, commits to interrupting racism in all its forms, and respects and honors the dignity and value of all. Mattis-Pinard plays a pivotal role in the ongoing implementation of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan, which she and a team of students, faculty, and staff developed in 2018-19 as a blueprint for bringing about deep and broad structural change at the College. She will also be a core member of a committee established by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Michael J. Materasso, to make equity, diversity, and inclusion a central focus of the Board, the highest decision-making body at the College.
Since her appointment two years ago as the College’s Chief Diversity Officer, Mattis-Pinard not only led efforts to develop and implement the EDI Strategic Plan; she also established a First-Generation Student program, instituted new approaches to the College’s faculty hiring process to address unintentional bias, and developed the College’s Land Acknowledgment Statement. She has been a critical partner in advancing equitable and inclusive practices, creating learning and development opportunities for the MMC community, organizing professional engagement opportunities for employees of color, and facilitating impactful dialogues on race, identity and power. She also served as a founding member of the President’s Advisory Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, which will soon be transformed into a task force for instituting and deepening College-wide social equity practices.
“Rebecca brings formidable knowledge, talents, and focus to the College’s senior leadership team,” says MMC President Kerry Walk. “I look forward to working closely with her, other members of the Cabinet, the Board of Trustees, and the entire MMC community to drive forward the essential work we have undertaken to become the college we strive to be.”
About Mattis-Pinard
A native of Queens who speaks four languages—English, French, Spanish, and Creole—Rebecca is the child of Haitian immigrants and a first-generation college student. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish at Binghamton University, where she was a founding member of the University’s LGBTQ Alumni Network. From there, she attended Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she earned a Master of Education degree in Psychological Counseling.
Congratulations, Rebecca!
A Note on Title IX — Title IX is a federal civil rights law in the United States of America. Passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, it prohibits sexual/gender discrimination, violence, harassment, assault, stalking, bullying, and related forms of misconduct. If you would like to submit a concern or complaint, please complete the Title IX Concern/Complaint Form or contact Rebecca Mattis-Pinard, at rpinard@mmm.edu or (212) 517-0563.
Published: August 08, 2020
