Shaya Gregory Poku is the vice president for equity and social justice. She leads institutional efforts to advance equity, access, and social justice across Emerson’s campuses in the US and abroad. She oversees the division of the Social Justice Collaborative and collaborates closely with the President, vice presidents, deans, and the Board of Trustees on equity-related matters. Her role involves strategic leadership; creating equitable systems for students, staff, and faculty; and guiding culture change. She focuses on creating a culture of belonging and advancing initiatives that make equity, access, and social justice a core part of Emerson’s community and values.
Gregory Poku’s professional experiences span the nonprofit and higher education sectors, domestically and internationally. She has been quoted in U.S. News & World Report, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed, and wrote the essay “Expanding Your Anti-Racist Managerial Toolkit: How ‘Human Check-Ins’ Can Build a Better Workplace,” published on Recruiter.com.
Gregory Poku is a certified mediator through the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and she holds interdisciplinary degrees that provide her with a uniquely complex lens on social systems and organizational development. She has an MA in intercultural relations with a concentration in intercultural conflict management from Lesley University, an MS in security and resilience studies from Northeastern University, and a BA in international relations from Agnes Scott College.
A proud California native, Gregory Poku is committed to entrenching equity and creating new models to unlock the human capital that is at the core of the higher education endeavor. She believes in facilitative leadership that is impact-driven.
About
- Department Social Justice Collaborative