Tianna Cervantez ’06, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion and director of intercultural life at Knox College, is taking on a new, additional role as executive director for diversity, equity, and inclusion, President Teresa Amott announced. 

As part of this new role, Cervantez will join the College’s senior leadership to oversee diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and to advise President Amott and other members of Senior Staff on the College’s anti-racism initiatives to advance inclusion and equity on campus.

“I am very grateful that Tianna has accepted this position and will bring her substantial expertise and experience to this critical effort,” President Amott said. “These past few months have pushed racial injustice ever more to the forefront, strengthened activists, and grown the Black Lives Matter movement across the country and abroad. We hope that the long-overdue reckoning has now arrived nationally and are committed to playing our part to truly promote equity and justice on the Knox campus.”

Cervantez said, "I look forward to partnering with students, faculty, and staff as we prioritize this important work. We have the responsibility to challenge ourselves to move beyond notions of diversity and ask how do we become an equitable campus. It will not be easy; however, we need to meet this challenge." 

During Cervantez’s 12 years of directing the Center for Intercultural Life, she has advised several Knox student cultural organizations and cultural centers, assisted with orientation leader training and New Student Orientation, and helped implement the Intergroup Dialogue program. Her work with the Intergroup Dialogue program led to the creation of the Multicultural Student Advisory Council, Intercultural Life Peer Educators, and the annual Day of Dialogue. 

Earlier this year, Cervantez was named the NCAA diversity and inclusion liaison for the Knox Department of Athletics. In the past few years, she has also played a leadership role in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. 

Cervantez is also a member of the Knox faculty and has taught courses including First Year Preceptorial, Social Service Internship, and Student Leadership. 

A 2006 Knox graduate, she holds an M.A. in policy planning, analysis, and advocacy, with an additional concentration study in violence prevention, from the University of Chicago. 

Cervantez serves as president of the Galesburg District 205 school board and recently was appointed to a two-year term on the Illinois State Board of Education’s Professional Review Panel.

Learn more about Tianna Cervantez.