CONWAY, Ark. (May 9, 2019) – Hendrix College President William
M. Tsutsui has appointed Kesha Wingfield Baoua, the Associate Dean of Students
and Director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, to serve as
the College’s interim Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for Diversity
and Inclusion. Baoua will serve in this capacity while the College conducts a
national search for the successor to Dr. Dionne Jackson, who departed earlier in May to take the helm of AR Kids Read.
Baoua has served Hendrix as Associate Dean of Students and Director
of Student Rights and Responsibilities for seven years, and before moving into that
role, she spent six years heading the College’s Office of Multicultural and
International Student Services, working with international and exchange
students, students from diverse backgrounds, multicultural student
organizations, and diversity programs. Her previous work experience includes
working at Bethlehem House in Conway as a case manager.
“Both of Kesha’s positions here at Hendrix have dealt with the
importance of upholding the rights of students and promoting a safe community,
which will serve her well in her work for diversity and inclusion on campus,”
said Hendrix President William M. Tsutsui. “The College will benefit from her
willingness to use her experience and gifts in this interim role.”
Baoua has been active in numerous diversity-related activities on
campus, including initiating the Multicultural Leadership Retreat for student
organization leaders; administering a community-wide Multicultural Expo;
advising several multicultural student organizations, including helping to organize
the Muslim Student Association; leading a student committee that heard concerns
related to diversity and provided solutions; and conducting diversity training
for student leaders.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with diversity initiatives
throughout my time at Hendrix, so I’m thrilled to be able to return to this
work full-time for this interim period,” Baoua said. “I’m even more excited to
lead the new 1stGen@HDX program. As a first-generation college student who
benefitted from the Upward Bound program in high school, and from having an
amazing college mentor, I know firsthand the positive impact of these
initiatives. I look forward to continuing to build relationships and
collaborations with students and their families, faculty, staff, and community
partners.”
A native of Gum Springs, near Arkadelphia, Baoua graduated summa cum laude from the University of
Central Arkansas’ Honors College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and continued
her studies there to obtain a Master of Science degree in training systems. She
and her husband, Boukary, have a three-year-old son.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix
College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal
arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40
Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic
quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture
in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more,
visit www.hendrix.edu.