PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — After more than three years of strong leadership in diversity and inclusion at Brown University, Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Sylvia Carey-Butler will step down from her position in October.
As the nation continues to witness efforts to defund and dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at colleges and universities in many states, Carey-Butler will pursue opportunities to ensure equity and inclusion across higher education — a long-held career aspiration as part of cementing her legacy in academia.
In a Monday, Aug. 19, letter to the Brown campus, President Christina H. Paxson called Carey-Butler a collaborative and community-focused colleague at Brown and a leader known nationally for her expertise in a field that has continued to evolve.
“Sylvia has been a champion for strengthening programs and initiatives to solidify Brown’s national leadership in integrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion in all that we do,” Paxson wrote. “I am grateful that she helped sustain Brown’s work in DEI by embracing the vision that fulfilling Brown’s promise to be a more diverse and inclusive campus requires contributions from community members at all levels.”
Carey-Butler joined Brown in August 2021, soon after the University launched Phase II of Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University (the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, or DIAP). Since then, she has led efforts to fulfill the mandate of the plan to address barriers to inclusion and create a more equitable academic community. She spearheaded the University’s 2023 Campus Climate Survey to identify areas to strengthen inclusion and belonging; developed new events and resources for building understanding to sustain Brown as a community dedicated to learning across differences; and broadened and deepened Brown’s engagement with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
