Shavonne Shorter

MA 2010 & PhD 2014 (Both Communication)
Assoc. Provost for Equity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer

University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia

 

Dr. Shavonne Renee Shorter serves as Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion, Chief Diversity Officer, and Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Digital Studies at the University of Mary Washington. Dr. Shorter was born and raised in the Greater Annapolis area of Maryland. 

 

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Frostburg State University, where she majored in Communication Studies and minored in Spanish and Leadership Studies.

 

She went on to obtain her Master of Arts Degree and Doctorate from Purdue University, in the area of Organizational Communication, and delved further into DEI work through her research. Her dissertation examining why more Black students choose not to become professors, would serve as the catalyst for the Inclusive Future Faculty initiative which aims to increase the numbers of underrepresented faculty. Her research interests also include calling out negative media representations of African Americans and has been published in a variety of outlets.

 

After Purdue, she went on to work at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania as an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. She could be found in the classroom teaching courses with a DEI focus, directing a social justice institute, advising diverse student organizations, and mentoring students both during and after their college career. While at Bloomsburg she also served as Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and as the faculty Co-Chair of the President’s Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

 

In her current role she serves as the leader of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which supports the UMW mission through providing educational opportunities, programs, and training; striving to ensure that campus is free from all forms of bias, discrimination, and barriers to access; and championing a culture where the student body, administration, faculty, and staff reflect the rich diversity of our Commonwealth.

 

She is married to her wonderful husband Gaston, and they reside in Virginia.