This week, the University of Redlands appointed Christopher Leon Jones, Jr., Esq., as its first-ever Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Here are excerpts from President Ralph W. Kuncl’s memo to the University community announcing the appointment.
It is with considerable pleasure, and with anticipation of great things to come for the University, that I announce the appointment of Christopher Leon Jones, Jr. as our first-ever Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer, effective February 1, 2020. I give my deepest appreciation to the Search Committee (as listed in a previous memo) and its chair, Michelle Rogers, for the intense diligence, responsibility, time commitment, inclusiveness, discretion, and leadership they exhibited as the best traits of our University.
Christopher brings a wealth of valuable experience and excellent administrative skills to the University. I admire him as a person of character and substance. His thoughtful conversations during the search process convinced the Search Committee and the community that he will be an engaged and visionary leader of our University-wide efforts toward greater inclusiveness and diversity.
“I am happy to have been selected as the inaugural Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the University of Redlands,” he says. “As I said during my campus visit, a foundation of important work has been laid by the efforts of many members of the University community. I look forward to joining my expertise and leadership with the contributions of all the University community to create the type of inclusive excellence that is a model for institutions around the country.”
Christopher comes to us from Case Western Reserve University. As Case Western’s Assistant Vice President and Director of Diversity and Inclusion, he is responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures to maintain a campus environment that is equitable, inclusive, pluralistic, and respectful of differences. There, he also acts as Deputy Title IX Coordinator.
Previously, he worked as Director of Equal Opportunity at Wayne State University, where his responsibilities included the implementation of the university’s Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Program. He has also served as Deputy Executive Director of the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission, which is responsible for the enforcement of that State’s civil rights laws.
As an attorney, Christopher held positions in both the public and private sectors practicing law in Washington, D.C., with the Law Offices of Robert L. Bell, where he oversaw the firm's appellate practice and served as trial counsel in employment discrimination and civil rights cases. Prior to joining the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission, he was an attorney-advisor with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Christopher is a veteran of the U. S. Air Force, where he served as a member of the Judge Advocate General's Department. In his final assignment at Bolling Air Force Base, he was chief of military justice, supervising a large criminal division. He received an honorable discharge in the rank of captain, and his military honors include the Air Force Commendation Medal (with one oak leaf cluster) and the National Defense Service Medal.
A native of Michigan, he is a graduate of the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the Howard University School of Law.
Christopher will be relocating at year’s end and will join our community on February 1, 2020. We look forward to celebrating his arrival at the University.
Learn more about inclusiveness and community at the U of R.
