CMC Hires New Diversity and Inclusion Dean

CMC recently announced that they hired Dr. Ashley Barton as Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion & CARE Center Director. Prior to joining CMC’s Dean of Students Office, Dr. Barton was the director of the Black Student Resources Commons at the University of San Diego for eight years. According to the announcement, “she worked closely with students, faculty, and staff to foster community and build a sense of belonging among Black and other BIPOC students.”

Before USD, she was an Academic Advisor at USC to over 360 students. She specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion, critical dialogue and identity development. According to her LinkedIn, Dr. Barton received her B.A. in Sociology from UCLA, her master’s in education from UCLA, and her doctorate in education leadership from USC.

During the finalist town hall for the Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion position, Dr. Barton stated that CMC would need to change its campus culture and use the faculty if it wants to involve the entire student body in diversity discussions. When asked how she would engage students who are not as inclined to embrace DEI, she said, “It is one part [that students] are required, another part is we are changing the campus culture and another part [is] we are using the faculty spaces … to create those kinds of conversations.”