Lerner is committed to creating connections and fostering dialogues that support diversity and equity.

The educational mission of UD is to offer learning experiences that prepare our students to live in an increasingly diverse and global world.

The Lerner Diversity Council (LDC) provides the Lerner College community the opportunity to understand and appreciate both the shared and unique background and talents that all of us offer – students, staff, faculty and alumni. The LDC focuses on building community and college climate; transforming curricular and co-curricular activities; and strengthening outreach and engagement, all with the central focus on diversity. Our aim is to foster diversity and inclusion throughout all aspects of life at Lerner.

Keeping the Momentum Going for Racial Justice
In this video, Jennifer Joe, Daphne McRae, Nicole Jeter West and Vina Amankwaa Afrifa discuss ways to continue the discussions about racial justice.
Watch the video

Diversity Programs

The LDC is guided by the Lerner Diversity Platform which focuses on curricular and co-curricular transformation, building community and improving climate, and strengthening community outreach and improving engagement.

Business Discovery Camp
The Lerner Business Discovery Camp inspires high school students from URM populations and first generation college student households to learn about the multi-faceted world of business.
Career Services
UD’s Career Services Center runs diversity programs such as the Multi-Ethnic Career Development Conference. Lerner also partners with the Office of International Students and Scholars in hosting programs with international students, the Veterans Student Group, LGBTQ students (mostly in partnership with Haven) and the Office of Disability Studies.

The Lerner Career Services Center supports peer mentoring for students through programs like our Executive Mentoring program. These mentoring programs will encourage URM pairings to help students learn from other students and professionals facing similar challenges and opportunities.

LDC Events
The LDC hosts many events throughout the year, including monthly Lunch and Learn discussions. Visit the Lerner Diversity Council Events page for more information.
Ph.D. Project
Lerner is a financial sponsor of the Ph.D. Project, founded by KPMG to support underrepresented minorities in pursuing Ph.D. degrees in business disciplines. Lerner will remain a financial sponsor at the doctorate-granting institution level, recruit faculty from the Ph.D. Project and use its networking to bring URM mid-career business managers into business school Ph.D. programs and place them in faculty positions.
Recruitment
Hiring committees for faculty, staff and administrative searches are committed to advancing diversity and inclusion, and are tasked with identifying and attracting a diverse pool of candidates.
Scholarships
To encourage underrepresented minorities (URM) to enroll at the Lerner College, we are funding five scholarships in the GET READY program through UD’s Office of Academic Enrichment.
Student Organizations
The Lerner College recognizes student-run organizations that support diversity initiatives in various fields of business.
The UDREAM Program
UDREAM (“U” Develop Resources for Excellence in Academic Management) provides academic support services to Lerner undergraduate students through the Academic Coaching Program and Peer Mentoring program. UDREAM’s comprehensive academic coaching and support is available for all students in the Lerner College upon request.

News: Lerner Diversity Council

  • Diversity and business success go hand-in-hand - Lerner's Chief Diversity Advocate Jennifer Joe speaks to a Delaware Small Business Development Center and Delaware Business Times roundtable about the importance of diversity in the workplace.
  • Keeping the Momentum Going for Racial Justice - In this video, Jennifer Joe, Daphne McRae, Nicole Jeter West and Vina Amankwaa Afrifa discuss ways to continue the discussions about racial justice.
  • The Great Migration and the Economics of Race - The Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship hosted Delaware educators for a virtual lecture by MAEEE alumnus Brett Burkey to help teachers and students understand how biased policy resulted in inequitable opportunities.
  • Finding the antidote to racial bias in the workplace - Lerner profs. Jennifer Joe and Wendy Smith co-authored an opinion piece for The Conversation on how white people can support their Black colleagues and address racial bias.

The Lerner Diversity Council

The Lerner Diversity Council (LDC) focuses on building community and college climate; transforming curricular and co-curricular activities; and strengthening outreach and engagement, all with the central focus on diversity.

Council Members
Carlos Asarta, associate professor of economics, director – Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship
Asli Basoglu, associate professor of accounting
Shawn Futch, Class of ’20 – International Business Studies and current MBA student
Dena Hillison, Lerner communications specialist
Hasan Iqbal, Class of ’17 – MBA
Jennifer Joe, Whitney Family Professor of Accounting, Cohen Family Lerner Director of Diversity, chief diversity advocate of Lerner College
Dianne Leipold, instructor of management
Christopher Lynch, instructor of finance
Dee Muir, assistant professor of marketing
Kyle Natter, current student, Finance and International Business major
Ali Poorani, associate professor of hospitality business management
Stephen Roberts, UDREAM academic program coordinator, advisor
Clay Rowe, Class of ’11 – Finance and Economics
Anu Sivaraman, assistant professor of marketing, faculty director of assessment
Carter Vaughan

The LDC is grateful to its founding corporate sponsor, KPMG.
KPMG logo

Contact

For more information about diversity at Lerner, or the LDC or any of its programs, contact:

Jennifer Joe – Cohen Family Lerner Director of Diversity, Chief Diversity Advocate
302-831-6002
jjoe@udel.edu