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Ben Reese Reappointed as Vice President for Institutional Equity

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Vice President Benjamin Reese

Benjamin Reese, who has served as vice president for institutional equity since 2003, has been reappointed to a third five-year term in the position, Duke President Richard H. Brodhead announced this week.

Reese was reappointed following an assessment of Reese and the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) led by a committee chaired by Deborah Jakubs, vice provost and university librarian.  Brodhead said the committee found that under Reese's leadership, OIE had improved equal opportunity at the university, advanced Duke's position as a national leader in promoting diversity and underscored the value of diversity in strengthening the quality of scholarship, education and patient care at Duke.

“Ben Reese is a widely respective leader, both at Duke and nationally,” Brodhead said.  “I’m grateful for Ben’s sense of purpose and integrity in ensuring that Duke lives up to its commitment to equity, diversity, and the ongoing work of building a fair and supportive environment for our entire community.” 

OIE provides Duke faculty, staff and students a range of services related to equity and diversity, and oversees Duke's compliance in the areas of equal opportunity, affirmative action and harassment prevention.

Under Reese's leadership, OIE plays a key role in keeping Duke's policies and practices in line with evolving law. The office also advises schools and departments in faculty and administrator hiring to ensure that job searches can seek and find quality candidates from minority and under-represented groups that the search might otherwise miss. 

Reese joined Duke in 1996 as an assistant vice president in the Office of Institutional Equity, where he oversaw efforts to enhance cross-cultural relations across the institution.  He is an adjunct faculty member in the departments of psychology and neuroscience, and community and family medicine.

He is a clinical psychologist who has worked as a consultant to universities, hospitals and other organizations in the areas of race relations, diversity and conflict resolution.  Reese has represented both the International Council of Psychologists and the World Federation for Mental Health (Non-Governmental Organizations) at the United Nations. He currently serves on the boards of The Art of Cool (a Durham nonprofit promoting the performance of live jazz) and Full Frame Film Festival and is the president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.