A message from Doug Elmendorf, Dean of Harvard Kennedy School
I am extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Robbin Chapman as the first Harvard Kennedy School Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. This position was created following the recommendation of our task force on diversity and inclusion, and we are very fortunate that she has agreed to join us.
Chapman is currently Associate Provost, Academic Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and Lecturer in Education at Wellesley College. She previously served as Manager of Diversity Recruitment and Assistant Associate Provost for Faculty Equity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned her S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, where she conducted research at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the MIT Media Lab. Her publications include "The Computer Clubhouse: Constructionism and Creativity in Youth Communities and chapters in Social Capital and Information Technology," "Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators," "Bravery: African-American Women Scholars in the Academy" (in press), and "Injecting Multidisciplinary Perspectives of Race and Gender for Diversification in STEM" (in press).
Chapman, who will be starting at the Kennedy School in April, is an outstanding person to fill this important role. She brings great experience in diversity issues, a systematic approach to solving problems, a true commitment to collaboration, and a deep respect for the mission of the Kennedy School.