Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion names Michelle Manno assistant provost for diversity and inclusion

Northwestern has hired Michelle Manno (she/they) to serve as the assistant provost for diversity and inclusion in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (OIDI), effective May 23.

“Dr. Manno joins OIDI after a rigorous search that resulted in applications from across the country,” Vice President and Associate Provost of Diversity and Inclusion Robin R. Means Coleman said. “Manno’s leadership experience will certainly further elevate OIDI and its ability to effectively serve Northwestern’s campuses. They bring to Northwestern expertise in racial equity strategic planning, accountability processes, and data- and scholarship-informed DEI instructional initiatives. Significantly, Manno is an inclusive leader who begins with empathy while inviting agency and autonomy among those they support. I could not be more excited for our community about the positive impact that Dr. Manno will have in advancing Northwestern’s DEI commitments.”

Manno comes to Northwestern from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where she most recently served as assistant vice chancellor of diversity initiatives and as faculty affiliate in the Department of Sociology. Before that, Manno was the director for diversity initiatives.

At UIC, Manno led several important initiatives aimed at increasing equity and inclusion for the entire campus community including the Equity Dashboard Project, the Inclusive Classroom Initiative, Advancing Racial Equity strategic planning, and the Equity Advocates Program. They were responsible for campus-wide efforts around diversity education, served as a co-investigator on UIC’s “Building Inclusive Excellence in STEM” Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, and served on key university task forces focused on campus climate, student mental health and well-being, Native American student inclusion, and food and housing insecurity. She co-created the gender-affirming procedures (GAP) advocates program and co-chaired the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ people. Manno also regularly taught courses for the Department of Sociology and UIC’s Intergroup Dialogue program. She has worked to “guide UIC’s strategic efforts to advance access, equity and inclusion as fundamental institutional values.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and Northwestern University,” Manno said. “I was compelled by OIDI’s guiding framework, Dr. Coleman’s leadership style, and the clear commitment the OIDI staff and partners across the Northwestern community have to engaging in the kind of critical work that results in real, sustainable change when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. I look forward to serving the Northwestern community by building upon the great work that already has been done and leading efforts to push that work even further so we can create a place where all students, faculty and staff feel valued, like they belong, and can thrive.”  

In this role as assistant provost, Manno will provide strategic and tactical support on critical activities for OIDI, promoting equitable culture across Northwestern. OIDI’s mission is “to help create and sustain a diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment for all Northwestern community members including students, faculty, staff and alumni.” Manno will actively engage as a leader with internal and external stakeholders in support of this mission, to coordinate efforts aimed at creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for the entire community.

Manno earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, their master's degree in Sociology from UIC, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Emory University, with a concentration in social inequality.