Mary Lai Rose is an alumna of the graduate program in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State, and she will share her experiences with institutional change initiatives at an R01 university aimed at promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. She will share her lessons learned, challenges faced, and thoughts on future directions.
About the Speaker
Prior to joining Boston University in February 2024, Mary worked at the University of Michigan (U-M) focusing on organizational change initiatives advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Most recently, Mary managed the Anti-Racism Collaborative at the National Center for Institutional Diversity–part of the Provost’s anti-racism initiatives–aimed at amplifying and fostering the development of anti-racism scholars and their scholarship at U-M. Mary also worked in U-M’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Office of the Provost supporting the campuswide implementation of the university’s five-year strategic plan on diversity, equity, and inclusion involving 51 campus units.
Mary’s career has centered on addressing racial and social inequities through research and education. Her professional experience includes facilitating community collaborations, coordinating academic support programs for underrepresented groups, conducting research and evaluation in applied settings, and higher education administration. Mary has published in peer-reviewed journals on the topics of Asian American and Pacific Islander youth violence, community collaborations, multiculturalism, and adolescent substance use and delinquency. She finds joy in building community and enhancing individual and collective capacity to promote equity and justice.
Mary holds a B.A. in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Ed. in Sociology and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University. Her graduate studies were supported by a National Service Research Award (F31) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a T32 predoctoral fellowship with the Prevention and Methodology Training Program at Penn State. In 2019, Mary received the Distinguished Diversity Leaders Team Award from the University of Michigan for her work as part of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi/American Staff Association.
