In an Intercom message posted Dec. 19, Kirra Franzese, associate vice president and chief Human Resources officer at Ithaca College, announced that Omar Stoute ’18 will assume the position of director of Staff Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, beginning Jan. 16. 

Stoute graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Communications. He began his career as a project coordinator for the Honors Program and the Center for Civic Engagement at the college. He also served as the college’s Title IX deputy coordinator for two years and is now serving as an Equity and Title IX Investigator at Cornell University, as well as the vice-chair of Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca’s board of directors.

In the Intercom post, Franzese said Stoute will contribute to building inclusivity and equitability to Ithaca College’s campus. 

“He is a passionate advocate for equity, a catalyst for social change, and is committed to leveraging his skills and experiences to foster equity throughout the Ithaca College community,” Franzese said. 

Stoute will be the third member of the Center for Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging staff and will join Luca Maurer, executive director for Student Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and Belisa González, dean for Faculty Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. 

The center was established July 1, 2023 and some of its goals are to implement the college’s campus climate survey, to look into creating a virtual diversity, equity and belonging training module for incoming students and to rebuild relationships with the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ Nation. Since the center was created, there has not been a director of Staff Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.