Associate Dean of Academic Diversity and Inclusion at Columbia University
About
Celina Chatman Nelson is the associate dean of academic diversity and inclusion in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University. In this role, Dr. Chatman Nelson works to develop and implement policies, direct new initiatives, and organize activities to enhance the school's diversity and inclusion efforts. This includes efforts to support the scholarly and career development of graduate students from groups that historically have been excluded and/or underrepresented in higher education, and that prepare all graduate students to engage diversity in their scholarly lives. Prior to her work in graduate affairs, Dr. Chatman Nelson directed policy research programs and initiatives in child development and early childhood education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Erikson Institute for Child Development, and the University of Chicago. Prior to that she worked at the University of Michigan where she conducted research on adolescent identity and achievement motivation in the context of race and ethnicity. Dr. Chatman Nelson completed her undergraduate studies at the Ohio State University, and earned an MA in English (with a concentration in creative non-fiction) from UIC and a PhD in social psychology from Rutgers University.
Current Work:
Dr. Chatman Nelson writes and presents on topics related to career exploration and professional development for graduate students and other early career scholars, with an emphasis on attending to the unique needs of persons from underrepresented and marginalized groups. In doing this work, she draws on research in higher education administration, as well as social science research on race, ethnicity, and identity.
Research Area Keyword(s):
Graduate diversity, faculty pipeline, professional development, identity
