The LBJ School has identified justice as an institutional priority and has renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). Leading civil rights scholar Peniel Joseph and community leader Estevan Delgado have agreed to serve as inaugural associate dean and director for JEDI, respectively. Their appointments begin in January 2022 and follow impressive careers in scholarship and advocacy.
The LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin has established a new department dedicated to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI), naming Dr. Peniel Joseph and Estevan Delgado JEDI's inaugural associate dean and director, respectively. Their appointments begin in January 2022.
Joseph will serve on the dean's executive leadership team in order to amplify the LBJ School's commitments to core values of justice, diversity, equity and inclusion along three key areas: composition, culture and curriculum. His experience as the founding director of UT's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) will play a critical role in advancing several strategic priorities, including teaching a diverse student body, attracting and retaining diverse faculty, and refining curriculum and pedagogical innovations that better enable students to study, recognize and reduce discrimination and inequity.
Peniel Joseph's statement on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) at LBJ
LBJ School establishes Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI), names leadership (Dec. 13, 2021)
"I am excited about the opportunity to help our already vibrant LBJ School community grow, cultivate and amplify our commitment to core values of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion," Joseph said. "The policy arena is integral to molding, shaping and debating public conceptions of justice."
Joseph is a thought leader on campus and across the country. He is a member of UT's "Eyes of Texas" historical committee and a 2021 recipient of the UT President's Award for Global Learning. In addition to serving as a frequent commentator on issues of race, democracy and civil rights, Joseph's most recent book is the award-winning The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. His career focus has been on Black Power studies, which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women's and ethnic studies and political science.
Delgado, who is an LBJ School alumnus (MPAff '18), will work with Joseph and the Office of Student Affairs and Admissions to scale equity and implement best practices across the LBJ School through collaboration with faculty, staff, students and campus partners. He will oversee a multipronged pipeline approach to recruiting underrepresented prospective students; design and curate thoughtful programming and town halls; and biannually evaluate JEDI progress across curriculum, composition and culture.
"I am thrilled to return to the LBJ School of Public Affairs," Delgado said. "The future of just and inclusive policy development begins with the institutions dedicated to its advancement. I look forward to working with our brilliant community of students, faculty, staff and alumni to ensure the LBJ School continues to be a springboard for individuals underrepresented in policymaking and research."
Delgado previously managed the Hispanic Impact Fund, a signature program of Austin Community Foundation, which is a community-led philanthropic initiative charged with advancing Latino futures across Central Texas. Delgado oversaw the fundraising, grant making, and programming of the Hispanic Impact Fund, which included fundraising its one-millionth dollar.
"In my first few months, I have come to admire Dr. Joseph's commitment to our mission and legacy and his leadership across the Forty Acres and beyond. Estevan Delgado's enthusiasm for problem solving, experience community building and enacting positive change make him a clear choice." —Dean JR DeShazo
"Dr. Peniel Joseph brings a unique intellectual vision to the office while Estevan Delgado exemplifies the community and policy engagement skills that we strive to model for our students," said JR DeShazo, dean of the LBJ School. "In my first few months, I have come to admire Dr. Joseph's commitment to our mission and legacy and his leadership across the Forty Acres and beyond. Estevan Delgado's enthusiasm for problem solving, experience community building and enacting positive change make him a clear choice. I look forward to working with them."
DeShazo has made JEDI a key priority during his first semester as dean. In addition to establishing the Office of JEDI and hiring JEDI leadership, DeShazo has convened alumni conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion and is launching recruitment initiatives to attract talented faculty with diverse backgrounds to the LBJ School.
About Peniel Joseph
Dr. Peniel Joseph holds a joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the founding director of the LBJ School's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD). He is also a member of UT's "Eyes of Texas" historical committee. His career focus has been on Black Power studies, which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women's and ethnic studies, and political science. Prior to joining the UT faculty, Joseph was a professor at Tufts University, where he founded the school's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy to promote engaged research and scholarship focused on the ways issues of race and democracy affect people's lives.
In addition to being a frequent commentator on issues of race, democracy and civil rights, Joseph's most recent book is The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. He also wrote the award-winning books Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America and Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama. His book Stokely: A Life has been called the definitive biography of Stokely Carmichael, the man who popularized the phrase "Black Power." Included among Joseph's other book credits is the editing of The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era and Neighborhood Rebels: Black Power at the Local Level.
About Estevan Delgado
Estevan Daniel Delgado previously managed the Hispanic Impact Fund, a signature program of Austin Community Foundation, which is a community-led philanthropic initiative charged with advancing Latino futures across Central Texas. He oversaw the fundraising, grant making, and programming of the Hispanic Impact Fund, which included raising its one-millionth dollar and writing and publishing its 2021 status report, Building a Thriving Central Texas: Advancing Latino Futures.
Delgado currently sits on the leadership committee for the HABLA Y VOTA Action Fund, the Todos Juntos Learning Center Board of Directors, and the executive committee for the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) Board of Directors. As part of his appointment to the ARA, he also serves as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Committee co-chair for the global organization.
Delgado earned a Bachelor of Arts from Rice University in Houston, Texas as a first-generation college graduate. He also holds a Master of Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Austin. He was a member of the 2019 Leadership Austin Essential Class and a graduate of the 2020 Hispanics in Philanthropy's Líderes Fellowship. In 2021, Delgado was named Latino Leader of the Year as part of the HABLA con Orgullo Awards presented by the Hispanic Advocates Business Leaders of Austin.