He was recognized in the category of Academic Leadership: Excellence in Higher Education on Jan. 27, accepting the prestigious award at the annual event in Atlanta at the historic Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Moorehouse College, according to a press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Diamond Awards ceremony included lifetime achievement award winners and high-profile personalities, including Phylicia Rashad, Glynn Turman, and Senator Raphael Warnock, to name a few.
Since 2021, Dr. Charleston has served in the roles of UW-Madison vice provost, deputy vice chancellor for diversity & inclusion, chief diversity officer, and Elzie Higginbottom director of the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA).
“I am deeply honored to accept this Diamond Award and do so with a sense of responsibility to continue this vital work that others have initiated. May these recognitions inspire us all to bend that arc further and continue to strive for a more equitable and just society,” Dr. Charleston told UW News regarding the award.
Prior to his current roles, Dr. Charleston served as the inaugural associate dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion at UW–Madison’s School of Education where he is a clinical professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. In 2021, he was named to the Governor’s Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council, which provides strategic guidance to the Wisconsin government, promoting and advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion practices statewide. Dr. Charleston has been named one of Wisconsin’s “Most Influential Black Leaders” by Madison365 as he served as the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s inaugural assistant vice chancellor for student diversity, engagement, and success.
