The Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) Network Team develops strategies for addressing issues of concern, as well as initiating and sustaining collaborations to support an environment of transparency and open communication.
View the Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team charge.
View the Member Profiles on this page to learn more.
In 2023, Recommended Actions to Address Staff of Color Experience (RAASCE), a subcommittee on the Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) team supported DEI 2.0 events. This included presenting a panel discussion webinar during the October DEI Summit. The webinar was titled "This is Our Story: Staff of Color Experiences at U-M." It was designed, in collaboration with ODEI and The Coalition, to share findings from a research study of the same name. The study revealed various ways in which staff of color experience pervasive white cultural norms and marginalization in the workplace.
The team is currently working with ODEI and partners to connect these research findings with existing DEI 2.0 Campus Action Items (CAIs) and to develop recommended actions to address the specific needs of staff of color.
To learn more about the ADEI team, see their 2024 project poster.
Afrah Oudeif currently works as a Faculty Compensation & Faculty Compliance Lead at the Office of Faculty Affairs. Prior to this position, she worked as a temporary I-9 Clerk and Time and Leave associate, then made the transition to full time as an HR coordinator at the University of Michigan’s Shared Services Center. It was during her time at SSC where she was able to be part of the DEI committee task force, learn more about the University’s DEI initiative, and become more passionate about diversity and inclusion. In 2019, her team was able to win the University’s Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award. Outside of her job at the OFA, Afrah enjoys traveling and exploring new places, cooking a variety of dishes, and meeting people from diverse backgrounds.
Alex Jendrusina (he/him) is a counselor with the Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO), having joined the team in 2021. Previously, Alex worked in primary care as a psychologist at the Ann Arbor VA. He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Alex has engaged in various DEI related efforts throughout his career. These have included chairing or participating in DEI committees, providing clinical and educational trainings, researching the association between mental health and experiences of discrimination, and supporting clients in coping with race-based stress and trauma. Alex looks forward to his first year being a part of the Voices of ADEI Team.
Amanda Louks (she/her/hers) is the Payroll Manager in the Michigan Medicine HR Department at the University of Michigan. She manages a team of 8 pay analysts and 1 trainer who support over 20,000 staff and over 300 timekeepers at U-M Health. Amanda hired into the University in Dec. 1996 as a timekeeper for the Department of Surgery, worked as a timekeeper for 3 years, moved to the central payroll team at Michigan Medicine in the HR department in a pay analyst role, then Lead Pay Analyst, Supervisor, and finally Manager of the team. She works closely with the ITS department & University Payroll Offices on system and process development and other various projects. Amanda joined the Voices of the Staff DEI team in 2017 and serviced 2 years on the team. She stayed in touch with the Voices of the Staff Program volunteering at several events, then later was invited to join the Voices Program Management Team in 2021 and to serve as the PMT liaison to the ADEI team.
Angela Ortiz (she/her) is a Mammography Technologist working in Breast Imaging in the Department of Radiology at Michigan Medicine. She has been with Michigan Medicine in different roles since 2021. Prior to her career in Breast Imaging, she worked in the food industry for 20 years as a Pastry Chef. Angela holds associate degrees in the following areas: Hotel/Restaurant Management, Baking and Patisserie, Radiologic Technology. In July of 2023 she took on the role of DEI Driver and has since created a Breast Imaging DEI Committee within the department and has done monthly activities to spread the DEI awareness. Recently she was awarded the Ally Award by the Women in Radiology group. This award is given to 1-2 people each year within Radiology, for promoting DEI. She has also recently joined the Radiology DEI Steering Committee and the Life and Culture Committee for Radiology. This is Angela’s first year in Voices of Staff. She is looking forward to continuing to grow within her DEI roles and bring knowledge and change wherever possible.
Chloe Unrein (she/they) is the Graduate Program Coordinator with the Department of Sociology on the Ann Arbor campus. Chloe is a higher education professional with a strong interest in student services, education, and sociology. She is passionate about promoting equity in higher education access and retention, and seeks to recruit students from diverse backgrounds to the Sociology PhD program. In their role, Chloe coordinates program requirements and events for grad students and works closely with faculty to ensure that our students succeed in the program. She has also worked hard to integrate her values of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility into her work, both with graduate students and fellow staff members. She joined U-M in 2022 and has previously worked with Indiana University (her alma mater) and the Indiana state government. Chloe is proudly queer and neurodivergent and is looking forward to working with the ADEI team to ensure staff are valued and respected as integral members of the U-M community.
Ellen Rambo (she/her) is a project coordinator and the Digital Accessibility Lead in Organizational Learning. Ellen works in early leadership and DEI programming with two goals in mind: meeting participants where they are on their learning journey and adopting universal design principles to give all participants equitable opportunities for success. Ellen served on the Student IDEA Board Pedagogy SubCommittee, and is currently involved in the UHR DEI 2.0 team, the UHR Technology Committee, the UHR Accessibility Standard Project, Organizational Learning DEI Committee, and the Digital Accessibility Community of Practice. Ellen has collaborated with ECRT and the ITS Accessibility Team to develop and delivery talks about digital accessibility and its positive impact to removing barriers to access, cultivating inclusion, and creating a framework for success. Ellen is currently partnering with the ITS Accessibility team and ECRT to offer Disability Awareness and Inclusion and Digital Accessibility classes through Organizational Learning beginning in the Spring of 2024.
Helen Garbarino is a Michigan-based graphic designer, photographer, and writer. She is currently the Communication Specialist in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Helen specializes in communications with over 9+ years in higher education. For EEB, she handles news writing, editing, graphic designer and writer of alumni newsletters (Natural Selections and ecology and evolution enewsletter), EEB website writer and manager, social media coordinator, liaison to Michigan News/media relations, special events publicity, alumni development, photography, and promotions.
Ivoree Griffin (she/her) is an Administrative Assistant responsible for managing office administrative tasks for the Michigan Engineering Zone in Detroit during the academic year and the Engineering OnRamp outreach programs in Ann Arbor during the summer. She is involved in financial management, event planning, student engagement, employee recruitment, and hiring. She is passionate about social and economic justice with a keen interest in the regulations surrounding technology and history-related education reform—ivoree balances various beauty and wellness endeavors, promoting self-esteem and confidence for individuals of all ages. Ivoree’s overall focus is to draw attention to our continuous efforts to recognize and shift the gap of underrepresented minorities on all platforms by encouraging diversity and establishing innovative ways to learn and appreciate differences within the community.
Julie Power joined the University of Michigan in 2014. She works as an Administrative Specialist for the Biomedical Research Core Facilities (BRCF) at the Medical School. She enthusiastically supports biomedical research and is part of an administrative office that actively supports the needs of 10 core facilities distributed across Med Campus. These facilities are used by thousands of researchers throughout Michigan Medicine along with external clients. In her role, Julie coordinates meetings for executive leadership, supporting three calendars and working with multiple Med School committees. She is responsible for coordinating all department recruitment activities, event planning, supporting marketing and communications needs, DEI activities, and many ad hoc projects. Julie is excited to join Voices of the Staff and is passionate about disability and accessibility.
Julie Winningham (she/her) is Executive Secretary, LSA Department of Anthropology, with almost 30 years of experience in faculty affairs. She started her staff career in the Department of Anthropology in 1995 as a temp right after graduating from that unit, and never left. She has managed the hiring and reviews of over 50 faculty during her tenure, and supported seven chairs. She has been deeply involved in DEI in the College, serving on the department's DEI committee from its inception in 2018 through 2022, and also serving as an LSA Inclusive Culture Liaison since 2019. She is passionate about building inclusive, equitable community and care-based relationships, promoting peer mentoring and support from the unit to the university level, and especially empowering end-unit staff at all levels to engage and advance DEI practice as allies and collaborators.