The Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center is excited to invite all HSC community members to a talk from Dr. Skyller Walkes (Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Pharmacy Practice, The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy). Join us on November 10th from 10am-12pm where Dr. Skyller Walkes will discuss issues with focusing on building language of inclusivity without backing these statements up with action. She will further review steps that can be taken to turn diversity, equity, and inclusion work from acronyms to lasting change. Register here.
Dr. Skyller Walkes is a deeply impassioned diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion leader who champions social justice through critical dialogue with the hopes of impacting positive change within shared communities. As a graduate of the Adult, Professional, and Community Education doctoral program at Texas State University, her scholarship focuses on Critical Race Theory, Afro-Latinx identity, art activism, race and intersectionality. Dr. Walkes also holds three Bachelor’s degrees in the areas of Communications, English, and Mass Media Journalism from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Administration from Kean University. In her current role as the inaugural Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Instruction in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Walkes serves as chief College of Pharmacy spokesperson for diversity and inclusion, while bringing leadership, vision, integrity, and an intentionally inclusive team-oriented philosophy to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion efforts. This encompasses areas of recruitment, selection, appointment, and retention of diverse students, faculty and staff, while promoting a culturally responsive approach to pedagogical and andragogical development in the Healthcare Sciences. Dr. Walkes’ work encompasses several international projects for schools, regional libraries and diversity community education for numerous entities, including the United States Embassy in Madrid, Spain, Diversity Abroad, and the Southwest Region of the Anti- Defamation League. Dr. Walkes has successfully developed and implemented a restorative justice and positive identity development curriculum at the Hays County Juvenile Detention Center, serves on the Steering Committee for the Hays Caldwell Women’s Center and on the Board of Directors for the Calaboose African-American History Museum, where she also serves as President and Director of Program Development, and as an Educational Consultant for CARE- College Athletes for Respect and Equality. She also volunteers regularly with Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos as an Amiga del Centro. Dr. Walkes’ professional associations include, Executive Board Member for the Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and Director of University Partnerships for the Black Doctoral Network. In addition to working with international, national, state, and local community organizations/ institutions around intercultural education, cultural humility, juvenile justice and sociopolitical reform, her redoubtable work surrounding social justice in schools, universities, and neighboring communities is demonstrated in her steadfast civic engagement and community. This can additionally be seen in her work spearheading COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics with community partners in underserved and under-resourced communities since December 2020.
Important to Note: This training is being geared to serve the needs of the Health Sciences Library employees but all are welcome and the content should be useful across multiple areas. Registrants will be sent a Zoom link the day of the training.