Framingham State University is excited to announce the hiring of former Grand Valley State administrator Sean Huddleston as its Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO). 

Huddleston served as the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Implementation at Grand Valley State, where he worked to develop strategies and initiatives for achieving “inclusive excellence,” a term coined by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).

“Basically it means ensuring that the tenets of diversity, inclusion and equity are embedded in every aspect of the University,” Huddleston says. “I worked really closely with the deans and colleges at Grand Valley State to customize plans to accomplish this goal.”

Huddleston, who started at FSU in January, says he was attracted by the size of the University, which is considerably smaller than Grand Valley State.

“It’s an opportunity for me to do good work in a more concentrated format,” he says. “There is a sense of family here and a community of people who seem very interested in achieving inclusive excellence. President Cevallos really stood out as someone who has accomplished a lot in this area and values diversity and inclusion.”

Huddleston says he’s excited to meet members of the community and begin building on the work that has already been done to make FSU a more diverse and inclusive community. He says it starts with gathering data and establishing metrics so the University can measure its progress and set goals accordingly.

“I want to build a standard around inclusive excellence that lays out where we want to go,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to getting started.”