Among those featured at the summit include Professor Ashok Mishra, the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Chair in Food Management at the W. P. Carey Morrison School of Agribusiness, who explained how credit could affect the productivity and profitability of farming households. Mishra’s research identified systemic discrimination, including the deprivation of federal services that led to a decline in Black farmers. He noted that improved access to credit is paramount to the return of diverse representation among farmers.

Alyssa Robillard, associate professor at the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, said that a search for the definition of health equity would return over a million results but, in essence, refers to a condition where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their greatest level of physical condition, acknowledging the need to overcome economic and social obstacles in obtaining care and eliminating disparities. Her presentation emphasized that people with the lived experience of a disease or social reality should drive decisions related to policies and programs that affect them.

Mara Lopez, senior research program manager at the Center for Broadening Participation in STEM, outlined the diligent work of the center to foster environments that positively impact the experiences of learners from historically marginalized backgrounds both directly and through the provision of culturally responsive and student-centered professional development opportunities.

The summit also included the following perspectives:

  • Diversity and inclusion in agricultural and applied economics presented by Ekaterina Stoliarova, PhD student, and Carola Grebitus, associate professor and Dean's Council Distinguished Scholar at the W. P. Carey Morrison School of Agribusiness.

  • Responses to gender-based price variation presented by Adriana Samper, associate professor at the W. P. Carey Department of Marketing.

  • Fostering inclusive communities through data-informed strategies for effective systems change presented by Mako Ward, assistant professor of women and gender studies and African and African American studies at the School of Social Transformation.

  • SNAP participation and medication adherence among older Black Medicaid-insured individuals with hypertension presented by Chinedum Ojinnaka, assistant professor at the College of Health Solutions.

  • Increasing the representation of Black CPAs in the accounting profession presented by Eldar Maksymov, associate professor at the W. P. Carey School of Accountancy.

Rocque Perez

Communications Manager, Office of Inclusive Excellence