After a national search, the University of Portland has named Tshombé Brown its first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
A welcoming, well-known presence on campus since his arrival on The Bluff in 2017, Brown will assume his new role on April 17. Since 2021, Brown has supported students and colleagues in a variety of ways as hall director for Fields Hall and Schoenfeldt Hall. Prior to that assignment, Brown worked at UP’s Moreau Center for Service and Justice, coordinating pre-orientation community engagements for students, developing off-campus partnerships and implementing training for student development and formation.
In a campus-wide announcement, Brown described the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion role as “a historic first for all of us, which affirms the DEIJ work we are already doing.” He highlighted the prominence of DEIJ and Access in the University’s new Strategic Plan—Hope, Renewal, Transformation. “When lived out, this work is at the heart of the charism of our sponsoring CSC congregation,” Brown said.
“Now is our time to amplify and double down on who we are at UP, and to leverage this platform to both strengthen existing efforts and to enhance, deepen and expand DEIJ in new and exciting ways,” he added.
“Tshombé has the talents and disposition to thrive as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Portland,” said Eduardo Contreras, Associate Provost for International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion. “With all his experience on campus and in Portland, Tshombé has built trust and strong relationships with students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members, which will be essential in this role.”
Recently, Brown was co-writer of the 3rd Edition of Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (2022), and he currently serves as board director of Campus Compact of Oregon. An alumnus of Western Washington University, Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics as well as certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). He is currently pursuing an MEd with an ESOL emphasis at the University.
