About DEI

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Myra Young Armstead

She received her doctorate in history from the University of Chicago where she interned under the late Dr. John Hope Franklin and concentrated in three fields: U.S. urban history, U.S. diplomatic history, and African colonial history. 

She holds a master’s in international relations with a concentration in African affairs, and a bachelor’s from Cornell University, where she majored in government. Professor Armstead’s book publications include “Lord, Please Don’t Take Me in August”: African Americans in Newport and Saratoga Springs, 1870–1930 (University of Illinois, 1999); Mighty Change, Tall Within: Black Identity in the Hudson Valley (SUNY Press, 2003); and Freedom’s Gardener: James F. Brown, Horticulture, and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America (New York University Press, 2012). Currently, she is completing two research projects: a book-length study of cultural reforms during the Progressive Era, and a study of class divisions and cross-class connections regarding economic issues among evangelical Protestants in North America. In 2014–15 she received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to undertake research at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for the Progressive Era project. Her study of economics and religion is supported by a three-year (2015–18) grant from the Louisville Institute.
           
At Bard, Professor Armstead has taught broadly in U.S. history with a concentration in 19th-century social and cultural history.

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Claudette S. Aldebot

Claudette was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and moved to New York in 1995. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and women’s gender and sexuality studies. Her master’s degree is in social justice educational studies with a focus on diversity and inclusion from SUNY New Paltz. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in organizational leadership with a focus on social justice from Northeastern University. 

Claudette’s professional experience has been primarily focused on higher education, where she has led roles in the areas of residence life, student development, college access, teaching, diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion. Outside of her work in higher education, she has spent time working and volunteering within the legal, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, as well as being a diversity consultant. This allows her to bring an intersectional perspective in all she does. She leads with a holistic leadership approach. She believes in building and strengthening equitable and inclusive spaces and frameworks for students, faculty, and staff. As a first-generation college student, she truly believes that education is the greatest equalizer and that it is our shared responsibility to lead our youth to a more equitable and inclusive future. 

In her free time, she likes to explore the beautiful Hudson Valley region with her husband and two daughters. She loves to dance, sing, and travel. She is passionate about living a good life and being in the moment. She lives by the saying: “Tomorrow is never promised, so make today count.”

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Jessica Purcell

Joining Bard from Española, New Mexico by way of SUNY New Paltz, Jessica Purcell is the new director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Jessica has committed the last 15 years of her career to supporting historically underrepresented individuals pursuing their academic goals through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at SUNY New Paltz. In her work, she strives to empower others and remind people they are seen, heard, and valuable. She is tireless in reinforcing the idea that each of us is inherently strong and integral to the positive growth and health of the future, which we contribute to with our actions and words. Jessica advises with a student-centered approach and has worked to bring the whole campus community and all its resources together to that end.

Trained as a mental health counselor, Jessica specialized in family systems and disaster mental health and served as an adjunct professor teaching crisis intervention and multicultural counseling. She has frequently trained students and professionals in risk and suicide assessment, always making sure the humanity and dignity of the student is the priority. She has also contributed to and presented on the development of PILLARS (Providing Insight for Learning, Living, Achieving, and Recognizing my Strengths), the multifaceted rubrics used by EOP at New Paltz to support student growth personally, academically, and professionally. 

Jessica believes passionately in the transformative power of education and the necessity of providing access and opportunities to those who are not traditionally given the privilege and power that higher education can afford.

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Haron Atkinson

A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Haron joined the Bard community in April 2021. He is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he received a bachelor of arts in sociology in 2003. From 2008–2013, he engaged in advanced study in sociology with a concentration in race and urban studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

In nearly 15 years of work in student affairs, Haron has had the opportunity to work and sharpen his student affairs skills at Trinity College, Georgia State University, and Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. His professional experience has been focused centrally on social justice issues in higher education.  In particular, he has worked with passion, purpose, and commitment to challenge institutionalized inequalities in higher education. He firmly believes that in order for his work to be most effective he must demonstrate professional practices that are ethical, student-centered, forward-thinking, and compassionate.

In his role as the program coordinator for the Office of Inclusive Excellence, he provides administrative support for the Office of the Dean of Inclusive Excellence (ODIE) and the many programs, events, and initiatives for which ODIE is responsible.

When he is not working, Haron enjoys being a foodie, cooking, intelligent political discourse, and traveling.