Introducing TerrapinSTRONG Education

TerrapinSTRONG Education is a newly formulated unit that combines the TerrapinSTRONG onboarding program and the former Diversity Training and Education (DTE) unit, both housed within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Leslie R. Krafft (she/her) will serve as this unit's inaugural director.

As director, Leslie will continue to lead the TerrapinSTRONG onboarding program and oversee educational programs, including orientation to the university and the Words of Engagement Intergroup Dialogue Program (WEIDP). She will also create new educational initiatives, so stay tuned!

Leslie has been managing the university’s TerrapinSTRONG onboarding program since August of 2021; in this role, she initiated the TerrapinSTRONG Symposium for faculty and staff, developed workshops to help departments enhance sense of belonging, and oversaw the rollout of the onboarding to all current faculty and staff. Prior to this, Leslie served our Terp community as a residential case manager, for which she was awarded the Department of Resident Life Pillar of Excellence Award in 2019. Before that, she was the director of Residence Life and Housing at the University of Redlands in California. Leslie has a doctorate in educational leadership for social justice from the University of Redlands, a master’s degree in school counseling from Youngstown State, and a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Leslie R. Krafft on her new role and welcoming the TerrapinSTRONG Education unit to the ODI team!