Recast | Transitions in IESS and First Peoples

From: “Saliba, Therese” <SalibaT@evergreen.edu>
Date: Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 8:14 AM

Dear Colleagues, 

Hannah Simonetti, Director of Climate and Belonging Education and First Peoples Multicultural Trans & Queer Support Services has accepted a position as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Bellingham Technical College. Her last day at Evergreen will be July 2. Hannah’s dedicated leadership and equity work at Evergreen has been inspiring and transformative for the College and for our students. Please join IESS in honoring Hannah by contributing to her Kudoboard.

During her two years with us, Hannah has contributed greatly to advancing equity at Evergreen. She coordinated our first Campus Climate Survey, which provided us with crucial data to improve our service to students. She brought new vitality to the Evergreen Equity Symposium in 2020 and 2021 with student-centered speakers and artists. She also led efforts to establish a campus Social Justice Center, which will open this fall.  Additionally, Hannah helped coordinate the Multicultural Scholars and pre-orientation and orientation programs. Hannah participated in selecting next fall’s Common Read, Emergent Strategy by adrienne marie brown and contracted the author as next year’s Equity Symposium and Unsoeld Lecture keynote.

Hannah and her team hosted countless workshops in diversity, equity, and inclusion, including the popular “Unlearning” series in 2020-21, and provided warm, inviting virtual spaces for our students during the pandemic.

She chaired the President’s Equity Fund, the Equity Symposium Committee, co-chaired the Campus Climate Committee, and worked on the Administrative Response Team, the CARE Team, the Cleary Working Group, the Campus Leadership Planning Committee, the Inclusive Equity Action Plan Working Group, and the Reimagining Student Affairs Working Group. Many thanks to Hannah for her many contributions to Evergreen and congratulations on her new position!

Jacob Longaker, Associate Director of First Peoples, will be stepping into the position of Interim Director of First Peoples during this transition, and will be working with IESS leaders to support our Climate and Belonging Education.  Jacob’s work over the past year in this area has included divisional workshops, micro-messaging, training programs, and consultation on SB5227 to fund diversity training in the Washington state institutions of higher education.

In community and with appreciation,

Therese

Therese Saliba, Ph.D.
she/her

Interim VP of Inclusive Excellence & Student Success

Library 2211/2209
The Evergreen State College  |  Olympia, WA  98505
Phone: 360-867-6854