Written By: Chaniece Dobson
Dr. Natalie Page is the new Chief Diversity Officer at Saint Xavier University. She is the first person to hold this position at the university.
Page has worked in higher education for twenty-three years and has previously served as an adjunct instructor, full-time tenured faculty member, dean of communication, and vice president of academic affairs. Her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion has been a prevailing thread throughout her career.
Page also founded Blossom, an organization dedicated to helping minority female students successfully navigate the college landscape. She has additionally worked as a consultant where she developed and presented cultural competency training and developed equity plans in the non-profit and parachurch arenas.
Page is a first-generation college graduate and understands the importance of a college education and is dedicated to ensuring that there is a sense of belonging and that the playing field is level for all at Saint Xavier.
Some of her goals as the Chief Diversity Officer are to centralize the diversity, equity, and inclusion work that already exists at SXU and make sure that students know all the resources available to them. She plans to create cultural competency training for faculty members and students and complete an equity plan for the university just for starters.
She went on to say, “ this office will be a hub that champions, organizes, and ensures diversity, equity, and inclusion among our leaders, faculty, staff, and students.”
Page applauded Saint Xavier for the great work it has already done to promote DEI and its willingness to help students of all populations succeed. She insists that “this is not an ‘I’, but an ‘us’ role and something that we have to do together.”
For her first two months here at SXU, Page has been on what she calls a listen and learn tour with the purpose to learn more about the college. This has included a string of meetings with different leaders, faculty members, staff, and student groups.
Last week she hosted an event that she called, “Cookies and Conversation with the New Chief Diversity Officer” where she met with over 70 students, explained her role, and learned more about the students.
“Since this position is inaugural, my first goal is to create visibility to the role which includes meeting with students, faculty, and staff so that they can learn more about the role and some of my plans.”
Page is inspired by the Sisters of Mercy and their rich heritage and considers them trailblazers when it comes to social justice, equity and inclusion. She is also committed to honoring the university’s mission statement and core values and sees them as the foundation for her work at Saint Xavier.
Page’s office is currently located in the Mercy Ministry Center, MMC-117, but she is planning an eventual move to A-207 where her office will be called, the Office of Inclusive Excellence.