The Penn Museum has tapped Dr. Tia Jackson-Truitt as the 135-year-old institution’s inaugural chief diversity officer, bringing a nationwide search to a close.
Jackson-Truitt, who earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, will begin in the role on May 9. Through the newly created position, she will work to build new strategic partnerships, deepen relationship-building with the Philadelphia community, and cultivate an inclusive workplace environment at the museum, according to the institution.
An expert in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives, Jackson-Truitt spent upwards of 11 years in various leadership roles at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, one of the nation’s largest and most diverse STEM institutions. Most recently she served as its first director of diversity and inclusion, education and training, providing more than 60 training sessions on topics including implicit bias and inclusive campus culture to faculty and students.
Prior to that, she held the role of associate director of the institution’s Center for Engineering Education and Diversity, where she expanded recruitment and retention programs for diverse students, and was the principal empowerment officer of the Griot Employee Resource Group, where she specialized in providing community building and professional development programs for Black staff members.
Jackson-Truitt said she looks to bolster Penn Museum’s diversity and inclusion practices by collaborating with neighboring communities and other diversity, equity and inclusion leaders across the Ivy League university's campus.
Jackson-Truitt earned a doctorate in counseling and student personnel services from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Delaware. She also has prior professional experience working with adolescents in Philadelphia, in community mental health in Delaware, and as a forensic social worker in Atlanta.
The chief diversity officer position builds on the work “to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Penn Museum culture for staff and visitors,” said Christopher Woods, Williams Director at the museum.
Woods began his tenure last spring in what University of Pennsylvania leadership characterized as a “pivotal moment” for the museum. Last March, Penn Museum also appointed Muriel Patricia Clifford as its first diversity liaison, a position that leads community outreach strategies to increase awareness of the Penn Museum and the cultural experiences it offers.
Jackson-Truitt will report directly to Woods. As a member of the museum’s executive team, she’ll “lead development of a vision and effective strategy to create a culture for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and the development and implementation of proactive initiatives that will underpin every aspect of the museum’s new strategic plan,” according to a museum spokesperson.
“She brings an energy and passion for educating and empowering people to make positive cultural transformations, and she’ll continue to do that here to the benefit of our students, staff and local community,” Woods said in a statement. “Bringing Dr. Jackson-Truitt aboard is a major step in our rigorous efforts to create a museum that truly welcomes all.”
