Thumbnail of speaker LaVar J. Charleston.

Speaker

LaVar J. Charleston

UW–Madison Deputy Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer

LaVar J. Charleston, Ph.D., is the deputy vice chancellor for diversity & inclusion at UW–Madison. He serves as vice provost and chief diversity officer for the university as well as the Elzie Higginbottom director of the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA).

Dr. Charleston provides overall leadership for the university’s efforts to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive learning and working environment for all students, faculty, staff, alumni and others who work with the university. Along with the staff of the DDEEA, he partners with leadership in the university’s schools, colleges and divisions, as well as shared governance groups, to create policies that promote equity and social justice while fostering a sense of belonging for all members of the UW community. Dr. Charleston oversees the administration of scholarship and service programs designed to increase diversity and foster equity and inclusion for students, faculty and staff at the university. A first-generation college graduate and Badger alumnus from Detroit, Dr. Charleston earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the UW–Madison School of Education in 2007 and 2010.

Speaking in

Day Two Welcome

Day 2: November 15, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.,

Chief Diversity Officer LaVar J. Charleston and Provost Karl Scholz welcome attendees to day two of the Diversity Forum conference. UW–Madison Director of Tribal Relations Aaron Bird Bear will provide the Native Nations Tribute.

Day One Welcome

Day 1: November 14, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. – 9:25 a.m.,

Chief Diversity Officer Dr. LaVar J. Charleston and Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin will open the Diversity Forum, with additional remarks by Professor Kasey Keeler on the American Indian Studies at Fifty: Looking Back & Moving Forward oral history project.

Closing & Special Awards Announcement

Day 1: November 14, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Announcement

Each year we are pleased to announce the honorees for the annual UW–Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards during the Diversity Forum. Dr. LaVar Charleston will reveal the 2022-23 honorees and talk about their work and impact on our campus and community at the end of the first day of the 2022 Diversity Forum.

UW’s Outstanding Women of Color Award acknowledges and honors women of color among UW–Madison’s faculty, staff, students (undergraduate or post-baccalaureate) and in the greater Madison community who have made outstanding contributions in one or more of the following areas:

  • Involvement in social justice, activism and advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged and marginalized populations
  • Community service
  • Scholarly research, writing, speaking and teaching on race, ethnicity and indigeneity
  • Community building to create an inclusive and respectful environment for all

Learn more about the award and past honorees.