Elon names new director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education

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Elon University has named Tyrone Guy Jean the new assistant dean of students and director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education (CREDE). 

Jean comes to Elon from Duke University, where he has worked since 2011, most recently as associate director of its Center for Multicultural Affairs. A graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in African-American Studies, Jean received his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Virginia Tech in 2011. 

“Combining personal experiences, expert training, and professional leadership, Tyrone demonstrates a record of facilitating both individual and collective growth within his communities of service,” said Randy Williams, associate vice president for campus engagement. “Tyrone will advance the CREDE’s efforts to become a premier contributor to creating a campus where all members exercise inclusion and individuals flourish.”

As director of the CREDE, Jean will be responsible for providing vision, leadership and expertise on issues of race, ethnicity, equity and diversity education to students, faculty, staff and administrators. The role includes serving as a mentor to students and an organizer of diversity education programs across campus while playing a vital role in providing a supportive environment for underrepresented racial and ethnic students.

The CREDE director is responsible for establishing campus-wide partnerships, including key collaborations with the associate provost for academic and inclusive excellence, the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, the Office of Admissions and the Student Professional Development Center.

Jean, who will begin at Elon on July 31, will lead a professional staff of six at the CREDE, including an associate director, three assistant directors, a faculty fellow and an administrative assistant while working with a cohort of student coordinators at the center. A member of the Office of Student Life, Jean will report to Williams. 

“I am eager, excited and humbled to be joining the Elon family in a few short weeks,” Jean said. “It is clear that Elon has positioned itself to continue on a path of excellence, and I could not be happier to utilize my skill set to help stay on that path.”

Prior to his role with the Center for Multicultural Affairs at Duke, Jean gain significant experience in residential life programs at Bucknell University and Virginia Tech while in graduate school. Jean served as a residence coordinator upon joining Duke University in July 2011 and then as an interim assistant dean of housing, dining and residence life before moving to the Center for Multicultural Affairs in February 2015. 

As the Duke Center for Multicultural Affairs, Jean designed and coordinated educational workshops promoting community engagement, multicultural education, leadership development and social justice education. He was the lead trainer and consultant to students and staff on issues of inclusion and social justice, and led the center’s marketing and advertising initiatives. His role also included providing one-on-one support, coaching and mentoring to students. 

The CREDE’s roots stretch back to 1992 with the creation of an African-American Resource Room. Elon expanded the resources and vision for that initial effort to what would become the Multicultural Center. The center merged with El Centro de Español in 2014 and later that year changed its name to the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education to reflect its role in the university’s diversity and inclusion efforts.