Brett Cook-Snell of Darden College Named John R. Broderick Diversity Champions Champion « News @ ODU

April 25, 2022

John R. Broderick Champion of Diversity of Champions Brett Cook-Snell, center, is pictured with ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., and September Sanderlin, Vice President of Human Resources. Photo Chuck Thomas/ODU

diversity-award-19 Seventeen Diversity Champions were recognized at an awards luncheon in the Great Blue Room of the Ted Constant Convocation Center on April 20. Photo Chuck Thomas/ODU

By Joe Garvey

Brett Cook-Snell, a lecturer in STEM education and professional studies at Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, has been named the 2022 John R. Broderick Diversity Champions Champion. He received the honor at the annual awards luncheon. of the Old Dominion University Diversity Champions Awards, held April 20 in the Big Blue Room of the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

Cook-Snell was one of 17 diversity champions honored at the event, hosted by the Office of Corporate Equity and Diversity. More than 70 nominations, a record, were submitted for the recognition, which aims to honor and celebrate individuals who encourage and advance the principles of equity and diversity to promote the positive impact of diversity on the community university.

“Today, we recognize people who stand out as giants of diversity – they play an instrumental role in centering the experiences of those most affected, choosing curiosity over judgment and modeling authenticity and vulnerability,” said Veleka Gatling, acting assistant vice president of equity and diversity in the Office of Corporate Equity and Diversity. “They hold key leadership positions in programs across campus and in their communities. They serve as mentors, innovators, problem solvers, thought leaders and true champions of diversity. They are the kinds of legacies that not only enrich our academic community, but have broad impact that will span generations.”

Cook-Snell earned her Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from ODU in 2015 and joined the faculty at Darden College the same year.

Cook-Snell “promotes diversity, multicultural awareness, racial justice and human rights through education and leadership,” said September Sanderlin, vice president of human resources. “With research interests in anti-racist instructional design and technology, our Champion Diversity Champion is always striving to increase her own capacity, and thus bring us closer to an intentionally equitable campus.”

Among Cook-Snell’s contributions:

Since 2010, Cook-Snell has been an ally of Safe Space, a program designed to reduce homophobia, transphobia and heterosexism in the ODU community, and has been a guest speaker to discuss issues relating to the LGBTQIA community. + by the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.
As a member of Darden College’s Anti-Racism Leadership Learning Initiative for Equity and Deconstructing Racism and Oppression (TeamALLIED), Cook-Snell has been a champion of diversity, inclusion and equity as chair of the research subcommittee developing college guidelines. for faculty and staff positions.
He founded a scholarship program designed for marginalized, underrepresented, and underserved populations.
Her efforts to advance equity and inclusion are reflected in a blog that provides resources on a multitude of topics related to anti-racism and social justice.
Cook-Snell is working on several publications on groundbreaking anti-racist design strategies with diversity champion Kala Burrell-Craft and is pursuing another Master of Arts in Humanities to strengthen her knowledge of critical race theory, queer studies, African studies and other areas of social justice. action and advocacy work.

Other 2022 Diversity Champions included:

Jenna Ashley, Instructional Technology Specialist at the Center for Learning and Teaching.
Sierrah Chavis, educator and graduate of Darden College.
Natalie Edirmanasinghe, assistant professor in counseling and social services.
J. Christopher Fleming, assistant vice president for enrollment and executive director of admissions.
Andrew Garber, Coordinator of LGBTQIA+ Programs and Services.
Giovanna Genard, assistant vice-president of public relations for university communications.
Tyler Miller-Gordon, Senior Research Associate in Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation.
Gabriela Igloria, junior creative writing student at the College of Arts and Letters.
Mariah Johnson, a graduate student studying lifespan and digital communication.
Mason Kennedy, undergraduate graphic design student.
Adreishka Luciano, graduate student in criminal justice.
Tracie Ortiz, instructional designer at the Center for Learning and Teaching.
Jay O’Toole, assistant professor at Strome College of Business.
Chanel Rodriguez, graduate student in speech-language pathology.
Chrystal Trapani, Instructional Technology Specialist at the Center for Learning and Teaching.
Kala Burrell-Craft, Director of Teacher Residences at Darden College.

The Diversity Champion Award has been presented at ODU since the 1990s and was renamed in 2014 in honor of former President Broderick, one of its first recipients.