Ramirez named fellow in IAspire Leadership Academy

Materials Science and Engineering Professor Antonio Ramirez has been named a fellow in the third cohort of the IAspire Leadership Academy, a program aimed at helping STEM faculty from underrepresented backgrounds ascend to leadership roles at colleges and universities.

The academy is part of the Aspire Alliance’s Institutional Change Initiative, which the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the University of Georgia lead. The National Science Foundation (NSF)-backed alliance is working across post-secondary institutions to develop more inclusive institutional cultures and create a more inclusive and diverse STEM professoriate.

“We’re excited that so many institutions were able to support the participation of emerging STEM leaders from underrepresented groups in the third cohort of the IAspire Leadership Academy,” said Howard Gobstein, director of the Aspire Alliance and executive vice president at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). “More than ever, we see the need for institutions to cultivate and support diversity in faculty and university leadership, and this year’s class of fellows will be well positioned to advance these goals.”

The leadership academy provides professional development for academic leaders from underrepresented groups so they can aspire to and succeed in more senior leadership roles, thus broadening participation in academic administration. Fellows will learn effective executive leadership skills for increasingly complex higher education environments as well as strategies for influencing institutional transformation in their current and future leadership positions.

“In addition to being a prolific researcher and outstanding instructor at Ohio State, Antonio commits his time and talent to understanding the value of diversity and inclusion,” said College of Engineering Dean Ayanna Howard. “I am thrilled that he has been selected by the IAspire Leadership Academy so that he can grow and share what he learns with others.”

Ramirez joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 2015. He teaches welding metallurgy and additive manufacturing for the department's welding engineering program, and he is the director of the Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC), the largest Industry-University Cooperative Research center co-sponsored by the NSF. He also contributes to the department's climate and inclusivity initiatives as a faculty mentor. His diverse personal and professional experiences support a philosophy that the more diverse a team, the more success they reap.

“It is an honor to provide this leadership development opportunity to so many current and rising leaders from across the country,” said Rochelle Sapp, IAspire Leadership Academy director and leadership development specialist in the Office of Learning and Organizational Development at the University of Georgia. “Advancing diverse and underrepresented groups of leaders in STEM higher education is critical to the success of higher education and society, especially providing these leaders opportunities to focus on their personal leadership skills, goals, and style. We are also hopeful about the power of community among the fellows to create a lasting foundation of mutual support to advance their ongoing development and success.”

The 27 participating faculty and administrators were selected through a competitive, holistic review of their applications. View the full list of fellows.