Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award recipients honored for their exceptional contributions to Ohio State

Congratulations to this year’s Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award recipients recognized during Ohio State’s Sesquicentennial – a time to commemorate the institution, honor our heritage and applaud the collective efforts of those who have built the university’s legacy and its future.

In this historic 150th anniversary year as a land-grant university, the award recipients’ compassionate leadership and ingenuity will leave a lasting impact on the success of present and future Buckeyes. Faculty, staff, students and alumni who champion diversity at Ohio State can be nominated the annual Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award.

In recognition of their effort to enhance diversity and inclusion, five remarkable recipients were selected based on their demonstrated efforts advancing diversity through curriculum, mentorship, programs or policies and making inclusion part of Ohio State’s best practices. Recipients are also honored for modeling Ohio State’s core values and making diversity and inclusion a top priority in areas inclusive of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and economic or political status.

Congratulations to the 2020 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award recipients:

Gloria P. Fleming, MD
Professor – Clinical, Vice Chair of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Talent
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, College of Medicine
15 years

Gloria Fleming, MD is the first Black woman to be hired at the rank of assistant professor and promoted through the pipeline to associate professor and then full professor in the College of Medicine. Dr. Fleming uses her role as the first Vice Chair of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Talent in the Department of Ophthalmology to widen the field of ophthalmology to women and people of color. By developing recruitment programs, practices and policies, she has played an integral role in revamping the residency selection process, the implementation of implicit bias training and shaping diversity and inclusiveness in the department. Dr. Fleming has dedicated herself to patients, students and research at Ohio State, and has expanded her vision and advocacy for women and diversity on several national platforms.

Chris Fish
Mobile Platform Architect
Senior Manager
OCIO
22 years

Ben Hancock
Director of Application Development
OCIO
7 years

Andrew Warner
Senior Solutions Analyst
OCIO
3 years

Through innovative design in the Ohio State mobile app, Ben Hancock, Andrew Warner and Chris Fish increased accessibility to and awareness of lactation rooms and gender-neutral bathrooms across Ohio State. They were also instrumental in creating a “Get Help” section of the app, making it easier to find resources for suicide prevention and sexual assault. With close to 190,000 people using the Ohio State app each year, Ben, Andrew and Chris have made accessing this important information easy, helping all people feel included, cared for and safe, regardless of their identity.

J. Marcela Hernandez, PhD
Administrative Director
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
22 years

Dr. Marcela Hernandez’s fundamental and passionate commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion breaks down barriers and cultivates pathways for underrepresented students, faculty and staff. Her leadership to help Latinx and Native American students advance has created communities of support across the university. As a champion for inclusive practices in science, Dr. Hernandez’s efforts have strengthened recruitment strategies, admissions standards, mentoring and professional development in the STEM disciplines.

Sadé Lindsay
PhD Candidate
Department of Sociology

Sadé Lindsay has dedicated her collegiate career to creating opportunities for students of color and used community engagement to improve racial equality and break down institutional barriers for women and minorities. As an advocate for mentorship and helping others, she co-founded Ladies of Leadership, an organization which organizes mentorship for women of color in their freshman year at Ohio State to help increase graduation rates. Sadé continues to advance diversity and inclusion through her engagement in the community and working to increase access to education.

Robert Decatur
Director
Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Donya Gilmore
Program Director
Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Ralph Cochran
Program Manager
Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Nora Yepez-Ornelas
Program Coordinator
Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Nate Knight
Program Coordinator
Office of Diversity and Inclusion

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion Morrill Scholarship Program (MSP) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest premier diversity and merit scholarship programs in higher education. The MSP team is dedicated to mentoring students who are actively engaged in diversity-focused leadership, service and social justice activities. Their innovative programming and community building practices encourage community involvement on and off campus, academic excellence, and a collective movement toward the university’s mission to advance diversity. The MSP team continuously strives to be the nation’s foremost leader and model for developing dynamic leaders who are academically talented, social justice advocates committed to making a positive impact in their respective communities as well as in greater society.