Ithaca College filled another key position within the Division for Student Affairs and Campus Life, officially announcing the hiring of Angélica Carrington as the new Director for the Center for Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Social Change (IDEAS). The announcement comes following an extensive national search process, chaired by Hierald Osorto, former Executive Director of Student Equity and Belonging. Carrington is set to officially begin her tenure at Ithaca College on Tuesday, January 18, 2022.
“Our Ithaca College strategic plan provides an invaluable framework toward student success, renewed and robust diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and retention,” said Luca Maurer, who was recently named Interim Executive Director of Student Equity and Belonging following the conclusion of Osorto’s tenure at Ithaca College. “As the new leader for the Center for IDEAS, Angélica Carrington brings the vision and experience that can make these come alive. A student affairs professional with a broad understanding of systems, the value of collaboration and the central and enduring focus of helping students thrive - particularly students who are underserved and underrepresented in higher education - Angélica will step into this role at an urgent moment of need and possibility. Angélica will join the IDEAS team, our students and our colleagues across campus to propel this work forward from diversity and inclusion to equity and justice.”
Carrington is the third permanent director in the Center for IDEAS’s history and the first woman to lead office on a permanent basis since its official founding in 2018. She succeeds former Director for IDEAS, RahK Lash, who departed Ithaca College in March 2021. Carrington brings with her an accomplished professional background that encompasses a variety of areas including program building, career advising, student retention, and residence life.
“I am so thrilled to join the Ithaca College family, especially in a role that aligns with my personal core of supporting students to be the self-authors of their respective academic journeys and advocating for equitable educational experiences,” Carrington said. “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the search committee for entrusting me to lead the endeavor of fostering a sense of belonging through campus-wide programming and collaborative efforts.”
Carrington is no stranger to the Ithaca area, as she has spent the past decade of her professional career at Cornell University. She served in a variety of roles while on East Hill, beginning her tenure as a Residence Hall Director from 2012-to-2015, before transitioning to Assistant Director roles in Academic Retention in the College of Engineering (2015-19) and Career Services in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (2019-Present). The common thread across these varying roles was her passion for advocating for historically underrepresented populations and developing avenues for collaboration with a variety of campus partners to support their personal and academic needs.
“I am very excited for Angélica to join our Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life during this important time for Ithaca College,” said Bonnie Prunty, Dean of Students. “Her extensive background in leading meaningful collaboration and fostering partnerships both within and beyond Cornell University distinguished her as the type of forward-thinking leader we need to support the ambitious goals and aspirations we have both as a Division and as a College. Her passion for supporting historically underrepresented populations was clearly evident during our search process and I look forward to seeing her translate her skills and background to help our evolution as a diverse, equitable and inclusive campus community.”
Most recently, Carrington served as the Assistant Director of Career Services at the ILR School. During her two-plus years in the position, she has helped lead a great expansion in the ways ILR students are supported both in their academic and professional pursuits. Serving as the departmental liaison with Cornell Career Services and ILR Student Experience Team Diversity and Inclusion Committees, she contributed immensely to bringing the university’s DEI initiatives to the forefront. Carrington has designed and implemented numerous workshops, forums, and innovative learning programs, collaborating with campus partners on a specific series of events covering issues impacting historically marginalized communities in the workplace. She was also responsible for leading a brand realignment of a winter externship program that included over 200 student participants and over 50 employers, fostering connections for immersive and equitable experiential learning opportunities.
Simultaneous to her work with Cornell, she has also served as a consultant and inclusive facilitator with Unsiloed. Carrington has developed and facilitated several workshops touching on the common themes of leadership, allyship, inclusivity, and belonging.
Prior to her work with the ILR School, Carrington spent four years as an Assistant Director -Academic Retention Specialist within Cornell’s Diversity Programs in Engineering. In the role, she led many initiatives to retain students, aid in their holistic development, and develop strategies to address potential barriers to their academic success. She implemented a learning outcomes based peer-mentoring program, CUEMPower, focused on supporting the academic endeavors of students in the College, which included specific supports for women, first-generation students, and other underrepresented student populations. Carrington also oversaw the oversight and direction of a federal grant program that aided support for underrepresented and first-generation STEM students.
Her work in DEI not only directly supported students, but also among colleagues as well. Carrington also made significant contributions to Cornell’s Rising Strong initiative, which seeks to enhance the retention of BIPOC staff. Short-term and long-term recommendations of the initiative are centered on individual empowerment, supervisor/manager training and accountability, and organizational changes that facilitate equitable career advancement and retention.
“It is the responsibility of every individual to further engage in inclusive conversations and weave equitable practices in their daily work to address the needs of underrepresented populations,” Carrington continued. “With that commitment, every student should feel empowered to bring their whole self to campus each and every day, so I hope to facilitate that learning journey within the campus community at IC.”
Carrington is a native of Laredo, Texas, where she grew up in a border city that intertwined a Mexican American upbringing. Carrington had exposure to many cultures during her formative years, spending portions of her childhood in Mexico, Norway, Venezuela, and the United States. She attended Texas State University for both her undergraduate and graduate work, earning dual Bachelors’ Degrees in Public Administration and Spanish, as well as a Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance. Carrington is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Leadership from Concordia University - Chicago.
“I am very much looking forward to meeting everyone,” Carrington concluded. “It was very apparent during my interview process how Ithaca College is such a collaborative and caring community. I am so excited to learn from and with our students, faculty, and staff.”