Coe College has announced the addition of Donald Jaamal as the college’s Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator. Jaamal will serve as Coe’s lead diversity officer. He was appointed by Coe College President David Hayes ’93 after an extensive national search and will be a member of Coe’s senior staff.
Jaamal is the fourth lead diversity officer in Coe’s history. Coe first incorporated a lead diversity officer in 2015, soon after the college’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion was formed. In his role, Jaamal will guide Coe’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in an expanded capacity and purpose. This includes leading the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, coordinating campuswide DEI initiatives, developing information and education sessions and representing Coe in interactions with community and higher ed partners.
He will be able to pull from a multitude of past experiences to support the efforts. Most recently, he served as the Dean of Student Success at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Prior to that role, Jaamal was the Executive Director of the Warrior Center for Student Success, Equity and Inclusion at Texas A&M University - Central Texas. He holds a Masters of Science in Counseling and Psychology from The University of West Alabama and a Bachelor of Science from Mississippi State University.
“Donald’s efforts and accomplishments for the institutions he has served reflect a serious commitment to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion. I’m delighted to welcome his perspectives and ideas,” Hayes said.
In his position at Texas A&M University - Central Texas, Jaamal oversaw the development and implementation of programs that promoted student success and fostered student retention. Offices under his supervision were the university testing center, disability services, academic support, student success, study abroad, tutoring commons and diversity and inclusion. He was responsible for a number of programs that addressed educational barriers for underserved students such as the Program for Academic Completion and Engagement (P.A.C.E), Tri-Alpha First Generation College Student Honor Society, The Warrior's Way Peer Mentoring Program and Conscious Conversations series.
He also served as a Title IX investigator at Texas A&M University - Central Texas, and will have related responsibilities at Coe. As Title IX Coordinator, he will coordinate the college’s compliance and training related to Title IX.
In recognition of his involvement and ideas at Texas A&M, Jaamal was awarded the Student Affairs Innovation Award in 2019. At prior institutions, he fostered the formation of student support organizations such as the Black Student Union, Pride Alliance Network and Student Veterans Association. Jaamal is also a veteran, having served as a member of the United States Air Force.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” Jaamal said. “I already feel like a part of the Kohawk family, and I’m excited to continue to meet new colleagues and engage with the Coe community.”
Jaamal started his role at Coe August 8.
Several individuals from the Coe campus community — faculty, staff and students — were involved as part of the search committee.
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