As NIU’s vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer, Carol A. Sumner, Ed.D., works to advance the university’s diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion goals in alignment with NIU’s vision, mission and values. She’s passionate about creating places and spaces where people, regardless of their backgrounds, can learn, grow and thrive.
Sumner reports directly to the president and is a member the president’s Senior Leadership Team.
She leads the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) at NIU. The division oversees each of NIU’s diversity and cultural resource centers; social justice education; prevention education and outreach; the Faculty Academy on Cultural Competence and Equity; and additional programs, resources and training that support broader student, faculty, staff and community engagement.
As Chief Diversity Officer, Sumner collaborates and partners with university leaders, students, faculty, staff and community members on numerous initiatives throughout campus and beyond. These efforts include the facilitation of several Presidential Commissions. She also works alongside various university and community partners as NIU prepares to advance from an emerging to a fully designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).
Selected through a national search, Sumner joined NIU in 2023 after five years at Texas Tech University (TTU), where she became the first person to hold the university’s Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) title. At TTU, she helped advance TTU’s Hispanic Serving Institution efforts, established the Office of Institutional Diversity and led the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The division included units, programs and centers that impacted students throughout the educational continuum. As CDO, Sumner worked with stakeholders across and beyond the university to support, engage and facilitate university-wide goals to increase diversity and engage in practices that foster inclusion and equity.
Read more about Carol Sumner
Among a vast portfolio, Sumner previously served as the Senior Associate Dean of Students at Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe campus, where she provided oversight for students' engagement in the university experience across communities and identities. During her 14- year tenure at ASU, she served in various roles and capacities at three of four campus locations.
She also held positions at Washington University in St. Louis, Illinois State University and Wilberforce University in Ohio, as well as several positions outside of higher education.
She is a former member of the YWCA of Lubbock Board of Directors; the immediate past president and Chief Operating Officer for the Big XII Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education; a member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Awards Committee; and a member of the Bipartisan Policy Taskforce on Campus Free Expression.
Sumner is a Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a lifetime member of Phi Kappa Phi, a member of Kappa Delta Pi and an honorary member of the Order of Omega and The MortarBoard.
She earned bachelor’s and master's degrees at Illinois State University and her Doctorate in Education at Arizona State University.