The Office of Equality and Diversity (OED) is pleased to announce the newest addition to our team, Patience Ajoff-Foster, who has been appointed Drexel's new executive director of diversity and inclusive culture. Reporting to Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Kimberly Gholston, Ajoff-Foster will be responsible for assisting in the development and delivery of the University's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy.
As we continue to cultivate diversity and an inclusive culture, Ajoff-Foster will facilitate engagement and collaboration with the administration, students, faculty, professional staff and other key stakeholders, providing thoughtful leadership and guidance to help align goals and strategies. She will serve as an integral part of Drexel's strategy to improve diversity and inclusion results, operationalize the link between diversity and excellence with measures for accountability, and grow and sustain inclusion efforts.
"I am very excited about the contributions Patience will quickly make as she continues to build on her previous programming work with Drexel faculty around diversity, equity and inclusion and leans on her educational and work experience with DEI to support our goal to reimagine and recommit the Office of Equality and Diversity's support and offerings to the Drexel community," said Gholston.
Ajoff-Foster, who currently serves as co-chair of the Faculty Recruitment and Retention Committee of the Anti-Racism Task Force, is a long-time Dragon who joins OED from the Office of Faculty Affairs, where she most recently served as the director of faculty development and diversity. In this role, Ajoff-Foster maintained a professional development portfolio that included career and leadership programming throughout the faculty lifecycle. She also led initiatives and educational programming in diversity, equity and inclusion, often in partnership with stakeholders across the University.
Prior to that role, Ajoff-Foster was a program manager and graduate advisor in the Dornsife School of Public Health, where she managed day-to-day operations of the department and was involved in all aspects of academic and student affairs and student engagement. She has also worked in the Goodwin College of Professional Studies and School of Education.
Ajoff-Foster is fluent in five languages and has extensive professional experience working with diverse groups across three continents, including the creation of learning and development programs on a variety of topics. She earned her master of science in Nonprofit/NGO Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, bachelor of science in Social and Behavioral Science from Knoxville College, graduate certificate in Student Development and Affairs from Drexel University, and is a certified diversity professional. Ajoff-Foster is currently a PhD candidate in Organizational Development at Cabrini University.