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Jeanne Arnold, an experienced higher education diversity, equity, and inclusion leader, has joined William Paterson University in Wayne as chief diversity officer.
Arnold, who is a member of the President’s Cabinet, will lead and support the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and organizational efforts, including overseeing the institution’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Black Cultural Center, and Center for Latinidad.
“William Paterson has made great strides in building a more equitable and inclusive campus environment in recent years, and much work remains, including achieving the goal of decolonizing the University, which is a pillar of our Strategic Plan,” says President Richard J. Helldobler. “I am confident that Dr. Arnold will be an effective advocate for ensuring that ours is a supportive, diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.”
Arnold joins William Paterson after serving since 2021 as the inaugural chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and chief of staff at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. Previously, she served as chief diversity officer at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania from 2014 to 2021 and established the role of vice president for inclusion and equity at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, a position she held from 2008 to 2014.
She was the director of the African American Resource Center and executive director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, both at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was also an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Social Work.
Prior to her career in academia, Arnold worked for 15 years in a number of social, community, and family support agencies in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida.
A graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social welfare, Arnold earned a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dozens of professional and leadership achievements include service on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education since 2012.
