Dr. Jarvis Watson is the Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the School of Visual Arts. Dr. Watson has a long history of creating progressive higher-education initiatives with a holistic approach toward engagement, academic success, retention and graduation of diverse student populations. He began his extensive experience at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, where he helped provide access and awareness for college enrollment to historically marginalized populations, and worked with the local community to build sustainable pathways to college. Recently, with Stony Brook University, he focused on student-crisis issues specifically related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Dean, he was an Interim Chief Diversity Officer at Stony Brook, integral in unifying the campus through centralized diversity funded initiatives, statewide faculty-recruitment initiatives, student-equity initiatives and the development of DEI task forces.
Dr. Watson is a member of the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American College Personnel Association and the National Association of School Personnel Administrators, among other organizations. He is also a board member of the Association for Mental Health and Wellness of Suffolk County, New York. A frequent public speaker and presenter, Dr. Watson has given keynote addresses, received numerous leadership awards and provided presentations on diversity, equity and inclusion at more than 15 regional and national academic conferences and events. He co-hosts two podcasts: The Rejected Stone Podcast and Trusted Voices of the Community.
