Diversity & Inclusion Staff

Timea M. Webster is the Assistant to the Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion where she provides secretarial, administrative, and operational support for the Chief Diversity Officer and Interim Associate Provost. In addition to representing staff on the Senate Executive Committee, Webster serves on the selection committee of the University of Maryland's Incentive Awards Program (IAP) - a program that offers full financial support to the University of Maryland for Baltimore City and Prince George's County public high school graduates to attend UMD who demonstrate exceptional academic ability.

Webster also serves as a mentor to IAP students, as she is fully committed to their holistic development and successful completion of their academic journeys. Webster, a National Coalition Builders Institute (NCBI) certified diversity trainer, has also taught several courses through the Words of Engagement Intergroup Dialogue Program that focus on socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, and size & appearance.

With 15 years of experience in higher education, Webster previously served as the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Alaska, Anchorage and was a principal fundraiser for The Urban League of Anchorage, the first multicultural chapter in the history of the National Urban League. She further supported the National Urban League Youth Leadership Conference by building a mentorship program and organizing and coordinating fundraising efforts to ensure long term financial sustainability.

Webster's fierce commitment to diversity advocacy, equity, and education earned her the 2017 Ethnic Minority Achievement Non-Exempt Staff Award from the President's Commission on Ethnic and Minority Issues. Outside of campus, Webster mentors Baltimore City Youth and is co-founder of 'You Alright Sis?' a radical self-care workshop focused on Black women.

Neijma Celestine-Donnor is UMD's first Program Manager for Hate/Bias Response. As the Program Manager for Hate/ Bias Response, Ms. Celestine-Donnor leads efforts on responding to hate and bias through trauma focused Response and Support, Training & Education, and Data Collection and Distribution.

Ms. Celestine-Donnor holds a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland and is a licensed clinical social work supervisor. She also has years of experience within the field of trauma services. Ms. Celestine-Donnor is an adjunct professor at the Univesity of Maryland and is an experienced trainer and facilitator.

Ms. Celestine-Donnor's areas of interest include racial and identity trauma, and promoting diversity and inclusion through a trauma informed lens.

Veronica Lewis has been with the University System of Maryland since 2008. In 2013, she arrived at the College Park campus in the Division of Research where, over the years, she served in progressively responsible roles within their Business Office. In January 2018, Veronica became the Business Manager for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. She brings experience in business operations, procurement, finance, and human resources. She oversees the administrative and human resource functions of ODI and its reporting units. Additionally, she provides support to ODI and its reporting units as the Parking Coordinator and Key Monitor.

Veronica received her B.S. in Business Administration with a specialization in Management from the University of Baltimore.

Ebanezare Tadele is the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion where he provides administrative and logistical support for ODI's programming across the university.

A San Diego native, Ebanezare holds a bachelor's in Sociology and a minor in Communications from Point Loma Nazarene University where he led student activism as the VP of the university's Black Student Union and was a nationally ranked debater.

In South East D.C., he worked in education as a City Year AmeriCorps member and a Guest Educator where he supported students with academic and social skills as well as organizing resources for the community through an annual block party. An Ethiopian Diaspora Fellow, he served as a Social Development Consultant for an international NGO working with orphaned children, marginalized women, and at-risk families to develop access and opportunity to secure education and employment, helping them move toward self-sufficiency. Prior to moving to Maryland, Ebanezare balanced working in Finance and mentoring young people in underserved communities in Southern California. All these positions allowed him to combine his passion for dialogue, community development, and social justice through service.

Nana Brantuo holds a bachelor's degree in African Studies from Howard University and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is pursuing a doctorate degree in Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (Minority and Urban Education emphasis). Her academic interests focus on the social contexts of educational policy, practice, and praxis, the interface of education and immigration policy, and educational mobility and migrations. Her academic work has also given her the opportunity to teach courses to pre-service teachers that were focused on the creation of equitable classrooms that address the holistic needs and complex identities and experiences of students. She currently serves on the advisory board for Bowie State University and The University of Maryland, College Park's Research Institute for Scholars in Education (RISE), a program that provides undergraduates from under-represented communities with one year of paid research and career development training in language or literacy.

Carlton E. Green is the Director of Diversity Training and Education in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. For more than 20 years, he has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public and private institutions. While building collaborative and empowering relationships with students, faculty, and staff, he has always sought to advocate for institutional policies and programs that promote access and equity for underserved populations.

Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, and received masters-level training in Mental Health Counseling and Pastoral Ministry, from Boston College. Dr. Green's dedication to diversity and inclusion facilitated his appointment as the Multicultural Post-doctoral Fellow in Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Houston, the second most racially and ethnically diverse institution in the country.

While serving as a staff psychologist at the University of Maryland Counseling Center, his work was acknowledged at the both the local and national level. On campus, he was honored with the Division of Student Affairs Outstanding Service Award, as well as the Champion of Our Community Award by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Staff and Faculty Association. At the national level, he was recognized as a 2016 Diversity Scholar by the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies, and he served as an invited keynote panelist for the 10th Biennial National Multicultural Conference and Summit.

Sika Wheeler is the Assistant Director of Diversity Programming and Engagement. In her role in Diversity Training and Education, Sika provides active support in promoting a cohesive and nuanced approach to diversity programming across campus. One part of this is harnessing the collaborative talent of diversity programmers across University of Maryland in a campus-wide diversity campaign. She also works on moving faculty and staff beyond one-time diversity trainings and exploring avenues of continued engagement around inclusion & equity concerns. This work is about helping faculty and staff to feel equipped in infusing frameworks of community, social justice, and inclusivity in their workplaces and classrooms and therefore increasing the capacity for this work across campus. Before coming to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Sika’s professional and academic work has focused on interesectionality within LGBTQ+ populations, Black feminist thought, and media studies. She was named the 2019 Champion of our Community by the LGBT Equity Center and takes pride in advocating for the holistic healing of all marginalized communities.

azmin Pichardo currently serves as the Assistant Director of Diversity Training and Education in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at UMD.

In this role she provides expertise and support to the campus community in reaching its equity and inclusion goals through trainings, consultations, educational and developmental opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. She also provides everyday leadership for The Words of Engagement Intergroup Dialogue Program (WEIDP).

Jazmin previously held roles in outreach and academic affairs where she developed programming and initiatives that centered the transformative potential of social justice education and learning environments that cultivate critical consciousness. She is passionate about expanding the reach of intergroup dialogue pedagogy and has consulted with national and international organizations in launching their own dialogue initiatives. A first-generation graduate, Jazmin earned her B.A. in English from Vassar College and completed her Master's in Student Affairs at UMD in May 2016.