I am pleased to announce that Martha Alexander, an experienced attorney and higher education administrator, has been appointed Brown’s first Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity, Accessibility and Compliance. Martha will join us on campus on August 19. As a member of the Vice President for Campus Life’s leadership team, Martha will provide critical leadership and support for Brown University's efforts to sustain a diverse and inclusive academic community where all members are valued and provided with opportunities to thrive.

 

In this newly created role, Martha will oversee the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting and lead the team responsible for compliance with University policies and procedures and federal, state and local laws related to protected class discrimination and harassment, sexual and gender-based harassment and violence (Title IX), and disability resources and accommodations (ADA/504). 

 

Martha’s professional experience makes her well-qualified to fill this position during a moment of departmental change. In her prior roles at Smith College and the University of Kentucky, Martha led two teams through the transformation of their equity and compliance offices. 

 

Most recently, Martha served as the Director of Non-Discrimination Initiatives and Title IX Coordinator at Smith College. During her tenure, the College recognized the need to expand the work to support all constituencies – faculty and staff as well as students – and created the Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Title IX, naming Martha its inaugural leader.

 

Previously, Martha served as the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity and as the Title IX Coordinator for the University of Kentucky. In these roles, she managed civil rights investigations, compliance efforts, and training requirements for nearly 30,000 students, 14,000 employees, participants in agricultural extension programs, and all visitors to campus, including patients at the four hospitals and numerous clinics affiliated with the University of Kentucky. She also worked to increase the university’s compliance efforts by evolving the scope of the office to address all faculty, staff and student equal opportunity, discrimination and harassment, and sexual misconduct matters.

 

After receiving her juris doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law and her bachelor of arts from Eastern Kentucky University, Martha entered private legal practice. She represented institutional clients in litigation and advised them on matters related to employment law, civil rights and education law.

Martha’s expertise in civil rights litigation and compliance, along with her experience leading this vital work at two great institutions, will make her a valuable asset to the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting and the Brown University community. 

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the hiring process, particularly the staff in the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting, who have navigated many changes this year with grace and dedication. 

 

I look forward to working with Martha and hope you will join me in welcoming her to Brown!

 

Sincerely, 

Russell Carey, Interim Vice President for Campus Life, Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy