In January, Kamille Dean Esq. was appointed to be Fordham University’s interim chief diversity officer while the university looked for the right candidate to permanently fill the role after Rafael Zapata stepped down.
July. 29 marked the official start of Fordham’s new chief diversity officer James A. Felton III. Felton is the first person to act as the chief diversity officer since the role was expanded to include being vice president of Equity and Inclusion.
Felton joins the university from The College of New Jersey. He is originally from South Jersey. Felton completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology before getting his master’s in educational administration. He is currently working on a dissertation for his Ph.D. in global leadership studies. Felton explained that he brings experience in diverse sectors of higher education to this role.
“I have worked at different institution types including small private, public universities, community college and university state systems. My various positions have included roles both in student affairs and academic affairs. I was also an adjunct instructor for nine years and designed and taught courses in ethnic studies and multiculturalism, urban studies and leadership studies,” Felton said. He has been a senior diversity officer since 2014.
Fordham is the first Jesuit school that Felton has worked at. “I’m eager to partner with the provost, provost staff, deans and faculty in our collective efforts to close equity gaps across the university,” he said. Felton added that he believes that this collaboration is vital in increasing diversity and is what he is most excited about in his new role.
“My approach will focus on addressing the three P’s: people, policies and practices. By engaging with various stakeholders, I aim to foster an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and supported. I’m particularly enthusiastic about working with the outstanding teams in our opportunity programs such as C-STEP, STEP, HEOP and Talent Search, to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the resources they need to thrive,” said Felton.
As the first vice president for Equity and Inclusion, Felton’s goal is to integrate the work and principles of diversity, equity and inclusion into the foundation of Fordham’s Jesuit mission. He explains that this goes beyond fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for our community, saying that we must also align diversity, equity and inclusion efforts into Jesuit ideals of social justice, compassion and education for all.
“To achieve this, I plan to establish a robust infrastructure of policies and practices that confront and address systemic and historical barriers to equity. This includes launching a faculty diversification initiative, promoting intergroup dialogues and establishing employee affinity groups that support various identities and experiences. Additionally, we will offer cultural competency professional development to equip our community with the skills needed to navigate and embrace diversity,” said Felton. He commented that these planned steps are only the beginning of the work he will do to make the Fordham community as welcoming and inclusive as possible.
Felton stated that he feels honored to step into his role at Fordham. He is excited to advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts while working in New York City, which he believes offers a dynamic and diverse environment that will further enhance the university’s efforts.
“Coming from a family of activists where issues of social justice are in my DNA, diversity, equity and inclusion have become my life’s work. This work deeply resonates with the Jesuit principles of cura personalis — care and personal development for the whole person — ensuring that every individual in our community is valued and supported,” Felton said.
