On May 8, CWU President Jim Wohlpart sent out an email with an update on the search for a Vice President for Equity and Belonging and Senior Diversity Officer. After the failed search, the president, along with members of the Vice President of Equity and Belonging search committee, shared governance leaders and the members of the Executive Leadership Team decided to hire Dr. Charlita Shelton as the interim vice president of equity and belonging and senior diversity officer. Arriving June 10, her contract is for 18 to 24 months.

Highlighting Shelton’s experience in his email, Wohlpart included her current position as chief of staff to the President of Gonzaga University and her previous experience as an interim associate chief diversity officer, a board member of the Colleges of Law, Santa Barbara/Ventura, LGBTQ+ Presidents in Higher Education and Genovate Institutional Advisory Board in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. 

She also has several published works on structural inequality, social justice, first-generation African American college student completion, women in leadership and institutional climate, as well as many other accolades.

As well as Shelton, Verónica Gómez-Vilchis has been hired as the inaugural associate vice president of equity and belonging in Student Engagement and Success. Starting June 1, Gómez-Vilchis has served CWU for the past couple of months as the interim director of Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLICE). Gómez-Vilchis has been with CWU for nearly 20 years, working in a variety of positions related to diversity and equity. She has also played a large role in moving CWU towards being a Hispanic-Serving Institution.