It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Karrie Kingsley (they/them/theirs) as the Associate Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer for Faculty and Staff Success. Dr. Kingsley is an Associate Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and the Director of Diversity, Access, and Equity within the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. A two-time Trojan, Dr. Kingsley received both their Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Doctorate at USC. They earned their undergraduate degree in Human Development at California State University at Long Beach.
Through their DEI leadership at the Chan Division has increased faculty, staff, and student knowledge and use of inclusive practices. Dr. Kingsley has launched affinity spaces supporting a variety of social identities and ensured sustainability by locating faculty and staff volunteers to anchor the spaces, training them as facilitators. They co-created and formalized a Diversity, Access, and Equity (DAE) Committee. The DAE Committee designs proactive programs and interventions, informs curricula, and provides trainings while being nimble in their ability to mobilize in the face of an immediate challenge. Dr. Kingsley believes in cultivating strong communities that can prevent harm within and brokered the first training partnership between USC and the Center for Urban Resilience Restorative Justice Project at Loyola Marymount University. The goal of this partnership is to train and implement Restorative Practices within the Chan Division.
Dr. Kingsley’s scholarly activities are largely focused on increasing the knowledge and skills of health professionals to become more inclusive practitioners. They have expertise designing and facilitating trainings related to best practices for inclusivity for LGBTQIA+ and gender-expansive communities. Dr. Kingsley is presently authoring two textbook chapters tackling topics such as the impact of clinician bias on addressing a client’s sexuality during care and the best practices supporting the success of LGBTQIA+ and gender-expansive youth. They are a frequently invited speaker on topics such as LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, implicit bias, and gender inclusivity in health care at the national, state, and local level.
Dr. Kingsley brings years of experience working collaboratively with staff, students, and faculty towards diversity, justice, inclusion, and equity. Informed by various frameworks and approaches Dr. Kingsley emphasizes collaboration over competition and seeks to subvert dominant hegemonies and power dynamics historically entrenched in systems of oppression. Dr. Kingsley works to center the voices of those directly impacted by oppression, recognizing their privilege from a position of humility. With their clinical background and scholarship centered in occupational therapy Dr. Kingsley keeps dis/ability in the forefront of the DEI conversation. They are committed to growing a strongly connected and collaborative USC community with the capacity to achieve a collective vision for equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Kingsley to their new position.
Christopher Manning
Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer