Dr. Willie D. Larkin has joined Edgewood College and will serve in the role of Chief of Staff and Diversity Officer, the college has announced today. Dr. Larkin was introduced to the Edgewood College community earlier this month.
“We are honored to have a leader like Dr. Larkin bring his talent and experience to this community of learners,” Mary Ellen Gevelinger, O.P., Interim President, said in a statement. “His voice and counsel will help me direct our renewed efforts to become the inclusive community that our Strategic Plan calls us toward. Our future is indeed bright, and Dr. Larkin will play a key role in that future. Becoming the community we aspire to be – a community where all gifts and differences are celebrated and embraced – is central to that bright future.”
Dr. Larkin is the immediate past president of Grambling State University in Louisiana. Prior to that, he was the Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to the president of Morgan State University, Dr. David Wilson, in Baltimore, Maryland from 2010 to 2015. From 2006 to 2010, Dr. Larkin also served as the Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant for Dr. Wilson during his tenure as the Chancellor of the UW Colleges and UW-Extension in Madison.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are important characteristics of our iconic college. To get the job done, we must collectively unify our efforts to be a welcoming institution of higher education for all,” Dr. Larkin said in a press release. “Diversity is about everyone, but especially our students, as they are our next generation of leaders. We must prepare them to become world-class citizens.
“My goal is to invite everyone associated with Edgewood College and beyond to envision a new day where diversity is commonplace in our world and citadels of learning,” Dr. Larkin added. “I would like to focus on creating a new vision, a vision where differences are embraced and echoed throughout the hallway and classrooms.”
Dr. Larkin holds two degrees from Tuskegee University and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He has more than 40 years of successful senior-level experience in higher education. He is a member of the Dane County Chapter of the NAACP and the Mount Zion Baptist Church Trustee Board, and on the Board of 100 Black Men of Madison. He also serves on the Foundation Board of Agrace Hospice. Dr. Larkin is a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and a proud member of the Divine Nine.
