Last month, several individuals were recognized for their positive contributions toward fulfilling Case Western Reserve University’s diversity and inclusion goals.
The Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity honored the winners of the 2019 CWRU Diversity Award winners at the 11th annual Inclusion and Diversity Achievement Awards Luncheon.
The following awards were given out during the event.
Staff Diversity Excellence Award: Heather E. Burton
Heather Burton is director of the NSF ADVANCE IDEAL-N and Partner Institutions Faculty and Student Development at CWRU. She also is an adjunct faculty member in Pan-African studies and social work at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Akron.
She is founder of Crimson Heights Ministries Inc., a 501 (c) 3 geared toward the holistic development of women. Burton also is a member of the Sustained Dialogue Program and a trained facilitator for Diversity 360. In 2018, she created a summer bridge research program between Case Western Reserve and three historically black colleges and universities.
She also manages the Case Fisk Partnership program. Burton is an author and has been involved in acting for more than 30 years.
Undergraduate Student Diversity Excellence Award: Ibtesam Ghazy
Ibtesam Ghazy is a second-year student majoring in biology, nutritional biochemistry and sociology at Case Western Reserve University. As co-president of the Muslim Student Association, she coordinates campus events and works to develop relationships between CWRU students and the local Muslim community.
Ghazy also is a staff reporter for the university’s student newspaper, The Observer, where she focuses on the achievements of underrepresented groups and international issues. She also writes for the Athenian Magazine and the University Health and Counseling Services newsletter.
Ghazy has been a volunteer for the Food Recovery Network and the Washington branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She strives to live up to her name, which means “smiling warrior” in Arabic.
Graduate/Professional Student Excellence Award: Erin K. Phelps
Erin Phelps is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Sociology at CWRU. Her work focuses on LGBT liberation in institutions. She is the author of a book chapter titled “Transgender Identity Disclosure via YouTube Narratives” in the 2017 anthology GenderSpectives: Reflections on Gender from a Communication Point-of-View.
Phelps also serves as president of QGrad, the official CWRU organization for LGBTQA+ graduate and professional students. Phelps, poly queer black femme, also is a womanist and yoga teacher. Phelps seeks daily to “hold herself accountable to people who are within the margins” and works to foster solidarity and community.
Faculty Diversity Excellence Award: Emily B. Pentzer
Emily Pentzer became the Frank Hovorka Assistant Professor of Chemistry at CWRU in 2013. She received a secondary appointment in macromolecular science and engineering in 2015. Her research uses organic synthesis to access new materials and assemblies as a route to understand structure-property-application relationships and access properties not possible with current state-of-the-art systems.
Pentzer regularly participates and organizes professional development events for graduate students and facilitates the transition of graduate students and postdocs to successful careers in academia.
She is the recipient of the 2016 NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award and serves as an associate editor for the Polymer Chemistry Journal.
Senior Leadership Diversity Excellence Award: Lou Stark
Lou Stark has been vice president for student affairs at Case Western Reserve University since July 2013. He is responsible for several university offices that focus on diversity and inclusion, including the Office for Multicultural Affairs, LGBT Center, Flora Stone Mather Center for Women and Focus Programs. Focus Programs include Trio Upward Bound and Talent Search and a tutoring and mentoring program for Cleveland area students.
Stark, along with Marilyn S. Mobley, vice president for inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity, co-sponsor the university’s award-winning Sustained Dialogue Program.
In addition, the two hosted a listening tour during the 2016-17 academic year that provided a space for groups and individuals across campus to give recommendations on ways to make CWRU more inclusive.
Diversity Collaboration Excellence Award: Ellipsis Institute, Shemariah J. Arki
Shemariah J. Arki, an intersectional feminist scholar, is an instructor in the Department of Pan African Studies at Kent State University and the founder of the Ellipsis Institute for Women of Color in the Academy at Case Western Reserve University.
She has worked in both the CWRU Flora Stone Mather Center for Women and the Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Through her work, she has collaborated with offices, departments and individuals on campus.
The Ellipsis Institute works to provide connections and relationships that build a support network, navigate barriers to access and build allies in the journey toward gender equity.
In March 2019, the Ellipsis Institute sponsored “Women of Color on the Line: Our Bodies Are Borders,” its annual conference that was held on the CWRU campus.
Community Leadership Diversity Excellence Award: Margot James Copeland
Margot James Copeland is executive vice president and director of philanthropy and civic engagement at KeyBank. She also serves as chair and CEO of the KeyBank Foundation, guiding the company’s philanthropic investments in education, neighborhood prosperity, workforce development and community service.
Under her leadership, the KeyBank Foundation was named one of America’s 50 most community-minded companies. During her service as chief diversity officer at KeyBank, the company gained national attention for its diversity achievements. She serves on several boards, including Kent State University, Cleveland Clinic and Say Yes to Education, New York City. Copeland is the recipient of numerous national and local awards and honors.
Community Leadership Diversity Excellence Award: Victor A. Ruiz
Victor Ruiz is the executive director of Esperanza Inc., whose mission is to improve the academic achievement of Hispanics in Greater Cleveland by supporting students to graduate high school and promoting postsecondary education.
Under Ruiz’s leadership, Esperanza has been a leader in addressing the educational needs of Cleveland’s Hispanic community and has been involved in collaborative efforts that helped increase the Hispanic high school graduation rate from 30% in 2010 to 70% in 2014.
Ruiz serves in leadership roles on several boards and committees, including boards at Cuyahoga Community College, United Way and Say Yes to Cleveland Scholarship Board. He is a former W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellow.