The Office of the Dean of Inclusive Excellence is here for you. Visit us in Kappa House or make an appointment to talk.
Who We Are
Meet the Office of the Dean of Inclusive Excellence
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Claudette S. AldebotDean of Inclusive ExcellenceClaudette S. Aldebot
[email protected]
845-758-7492
Office: Kappa House 102
Claudette S. Aldebot is the Dean of Inclusive Excellence at Bard College Annandale campus. She possesses over 15 years of experience working on senior management teams, developing strategic plans and establishing infrastructures for inclusive excellence, equity and belonging within the corporate, non-profit and higher education sectors.
Claudette has significant experience in developing cross-divisional collaboration and initiatives through an inclusive, person-centered approach. Claudette’s higher education experience has been in the areas of residence life, student development, college access, scholarship and grant management, mentoring, teaching, coaching, and programming. Her multidisciplinary professional experience allows her to bring an intersectional perspective to all she does and leads with a holistic leadership approach that is mission driven. She believes in building and strengthening equitable and inclusive spaces and frameworks for students, faculty, and staff.
Currently she serves as one of the Board of Directors co-chair for the New York State ACE Women’s Network. She also leads the Bard First Gen Forward program in partnership with NASPA as well as the Bard’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Center in partnership with the American Association for Colleges & Universities. As an immigrant, first-generation student, Claudette earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and women’s gender, and sexuality studies. She received a master’s degree in social justice educational studies from SUNY New Paltz and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in organizational leadership from Northeastern University. Her research focuses on the well being and sense of belonging of low income, first generation, immigrant college students in private liberal arts settings.
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. Being in the moment and living well are her passions. -
Haron AtkinsonAssistant Director of Inclusive ExcellenceHaron Atkinson
[email protected]
845-758-7605
Office: Kappa House 102
A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Haron joined the Bard community in April of 2021. He is a 2003 graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. From 2008 through 2013 he engaged in doctoral-level 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, he 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. Haron’s 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 Assistant Director of Inclusive Excellence, he is responsible for leading the recruitment and training of Inclusive Fellows in the Office of the Dean of Inclusive Excellence (ODIE); the conceptualization, organization, and execution of heritage month programming; budget oversight and management; maintaining ongoing communication with affinity-based student organizations; coordination of all marketing efforts, including both print and social media; providing administrative coordination and support for the Council for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) and its working groups, including Professionals of Color, Out@Bard, and other working groups under the charge of the Dean’s leadership; and leading the collaborative development and execution of programming for Disability Awareness Month, Transgender Awareness Week, and Transgender Day of Remembrance. In addition, Haron has provided collaborative leadership as a member of the steering committee for Out@Bard, a working group of the Council for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) dedicated to the interests and concerns of LGBTQ+ identifying faculty and staff. When he is not working, Haron enjoys being a foodie, cooking, intelligent political discourse, and traveling.
