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The DEI Council Staff Subcommittee. Working to build a sense of community and belonging for all to feel welcome and appreciated.

Who We Are

The DEI Council Staff Subcommittee are your SOM DEI staff advocates, assembled based on our passion and work around campus in advancing DEI efforts and staff initiatives. Our desire as a group is to give voice to the SOM staff’s needs. We work to build a sense of community and belonging for all to feel welcome and appreciated. As your SOM DEI staff advocates, we are here to listen and take forward concerns and needs of the SOM Staff. We hope that you will get to know us and see us as allies that stand with you.

Paul Marini
Paul Marini

“Having staff representation on the SOM DEI Council and forming a staff subcommittee provides an incredible opportunity for the greater staff community across the School of Medicine.”

– Paul Marini, Director of Operations & Strategy for Radiology

Stephanie Brown, PhD
Stephanie Brown, PhD
Paul Marini
Paul Marini (co-chair)
Ackley, Christine
Christine Ackley
Ebony Kiera Alston
Carter, Dallas
Dallas Carter
Cornett, Nicole R
Nicole R Cornett
Julie Farmer
Scott Gee
Chi-Chi Harris
Harvey, Tawanda
Tawanda Harvey
Suarez, Myra R
Myra R Suarez
Valerie Tan
Trujillo, Juan P
Juan P Trujillo
Juan Enrique Tuset

Our Team

  • Brown, Stephanie Director of Strategic Initiatives – Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
  • Marini, Paul (co-chair) Director of Operations & Strategy – Radiology
    paul_marini@med.unc.edu
  • Ackley, Christine (co-chair) Clinical Team Lead – Human Resources
  • Alston, Ebony Kiera OAE Coordinator – Office of Academic Excellence
  • Carter, Dallas Director – Microbiology and Immunology
  • Cornett, Nicole R Assistant Director – Office of Rural Initiatives
  • Farmer, Julie Associate Chair for Administration – Urology
  • Gee, Scott Client Services Support – SOM IT
  • Harris, Chi-Chi Administrative Support Associate – Orthopaedics
  • Harvey, Tawanda Director of Business Operations – Center for Women’s Health Research
  • Suarez, Myra R Regulatory Associate – LCCC Clinical Trials
  • Tan, Valerie Associate Chair for Administration – Health Sciences
  • Trujillo, Juan P Associate Chair for Administration – Ophthalmology
  • Tuset, Juan Enrique Program Coordinator – Family Medicine

What We Envision

We envision the School of Medicine to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment where all SOM staff feel valued for their efforts and understand the importance of their contributions in achieving the larger mission of the School of Medicine.

A photo of a large group of people standing in a semicircle in an outdoor park. There are several different genders, ethnicities and ages shown.

What We Do

We can achieve this vision by…

  1. Listening and understanding the needs of the SOM staff.
  2. Advocating the needs of SOM staff to SOM DEI Leadership and Administration to ensure their voices are heard.
  3. Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across SOM staff by sharing and providing resources, programs, and best practices.
  4. Supporting belonging by building outlets of community for SOM staff.

SOM staff members (left to right) Kelly Doss, Michael Curtis, Tiffani Cain, Jamie Smith, Crystal Walker, Kyra Eagan

E. Nate Thomas III, PhD
E. Nate Thomas III, PhD

“Each generation has a chance to create social change and make this world better for marginalized and oppressed groups. The DEI priorities expressed in Forward Together help move us closer to our goal of one day eliminating the oppression and marginalization of diverse people and groups in our state and society. To do so, would allow everyone to lead a healthy and high-quality life.”

– Dr. E. Nathan Thomas III, Vice Dean for DEI