President Walker fills administrative leadership vacancies
UHCL filled four leadership positions this summer.
President Richard Walker announced the filling of three new positions: a new director of Strategic Partnerships, the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and the Title IX and Equal Opportunity Officer.
New Title IX and Equal Opportunity Officer positions confirmed
The creation of the new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer position also came with the creation of the a Title IX and Equal Opportunity Officer. David Brittain officially filled the position July 1.
Prior to working at UHCL, Brittain worked in higher education and law for more than 25 years. He previously served as Interim Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Title IX Coordinator at UHCL before obtaining the official position. Brittain earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law and a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Houston.
“The Title IX Coordinator oversees the university’s Title IX responsibilities,” Brittain said. “Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that receives federal funding. It applies to all students, faculty and staff—female, male, transgender, non-binary, etc. In my assessment, Title IX has opened opportunities for all students to reach new heights of achievement. By prohibiting hostile, threatening, and discriminatory behavior, Title IX protects the rights of all students to learn in a healthy environment.”
Brittain serves as the primary compliance officer for state and federal laws relating to sexual harassment and violence prevention. Brittain is also responsible for investigating all alleged discrimination on campus.
Brittain said the primary challenge of his new position is making the campus community aware that this office exists and how the office can serve them.
“Every time I receive a report regarding a concern I immediately reach out to the affected person (student, faculty, staff, etc.),” Brittain said. “Notwithstanding the fact that all members of the university community attend orientation, at which time they are informed about this office, many of the people I reach out to state that they were unaware of my office and were not aware that my office was capable of providing them with support. I see that as the most pressing challenge. My initial goals are to address that challenge through education, programming, creating a social media presence and, again, making the campus community aware of this office and how we can serve them.”
Beth Lewis fills enrollment position
With the departure of Lee Young, Beth Lewis now serves in the position of VP of Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM).
The role of the VP of Strategic Enrollment Management is to make sure all students have a successful and positive experience throughout their UHCL journey. This includes learning about the university, visiting the campus, enrolling in classes, securing funding for expenses, having grades posted on transcripts and being able to walk the stage at graduation.
“This position, like most university leadership positions, requires the administrator to be flexible, a good planner, able to work with a wide variety of people, and possess a real passion for helping students succeed,” Lewis said. “Without it, there would be no central office to coordinate student recruitment, admissions, registration, enrollment, financial aid, record-keeping (grades, degrees and transcripts) and student success grants. But it’s not just the regularly scheduled tasks that need to be done— SEM focuses on what is best for students and how to ensure their success while addressing all aspects of the institution’s mission. Most leaders agree that there are seven core principles that should guide SEM practices: establishing clear enrollment goals; promoting student success; determining, achieving and maintaining optimum enrollment; enabling the delivery of effective academic programs; generating tuition; enabling financial planning; increasing organizational efficiency, and improving service levels.”
While serving as the acting VP of Strategic Enrollment Management until UHCL hires an Interim VP, Lewis will continue her previous UHCL position, the Associate VP and Chief Operating Officer at UHCL Pearland.
“The biggest challenge is that I’m going to be in the role only until the end of August, but I want to do all I can during that time to provide the structure, environment and resources the amazing professionals in SEM need to achieve their goals,” Lewis said. “I want to make sure that whoever follows me will be successful.”
University hires new Strategic Partnership director
Natalie Clogston took over as Executive Director of the Strategic Partnerships department Aug. 1. Clogston reports to the Office of the President, and Clogston will serve as a member of UHCL’s Senior Core Leadership.
Clogston brings 19 years of experience in educational leadership and administration to UHCL. For the past eight years, Clogston served as the Chief Education Foundation Officer for Pearland ISD, cultivating stakeholder relationships to secure partnerships with local industries and community groups and providing strategic leadership supporting Pearland ISD’s philanthropic mission.
As Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Clogston is responsible for developing and cultivating student and faculty-centric strategic partnerships for the university. In addition, she will engage with external industry partners to educate them on the value of partnering with the university, develop experiential education opportunities for our students and explore industry partnership opportunities for faculty.
University creates new position dedicated to diversity
Brice Yates started as the new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Aug. 1.
The Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer is responsible for implementing, developing and overseeing the University’s overall strategic plan as it relates to diversity and inclusion. In addition, Yates will work with campus partners to create, establish and implement assessment strategies to assess the progress toward a climate of inclusion and diversity for students, faculty and staff.
Yates brings more than 12 years of experience in higher education to UHCL. Since January 2021, he has served as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
Yates earned his doctorate in higher education and leadership from Indiana State University. His other academic attainments include a Master of Arts in Communication Studies and a bachelor degree in Spanish from Morehead State University.
