Mount Saint Mary’s University is pleased to welcome Krishauna Hines-Gaither, PhD, as the inaugural vice president for equity, diversity and justice. A highly experienced diversity educator and leader, Hines-Gaither will be responsible for guiding and coordinating campus-wide efforts to integrate diversity and inclusion into policies, practices and procedures within the University.
Hines-Gaither brings to the Mount almost two decades of experience in higher education and a focus in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion scholarship and practice. Before joining Mount Saint Mary’s, she served as the interim vice president for diversity, equity & inclusion and the director of the Intercultural Engagement Center at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Dr. Hines-Gaither is a proven leader in DEI work in the higher education space and will be an outstanding addition to our community,” said President Ann McElaney-Johnson, PhD. “I am excited to welcome her to the Mount as we continue to move our work forward to become an anti-racist university.”
As the only women’s university in Los Angeles, and one of the most diverse in the nation – with 83% of students of color – the University has had a commitment to social justice since its founding in 1925. Its recent commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution is one of the priorities of its strategic plan for the next five years.
As the new vice president overseeing the recently renamed Bernadette Gonzaque Robert Center for Equity, Diversity and Justice, Hines-Gaither will develop recruitment and retention programs to increase diversity of faculty, staff and students at the graduate and undergraduate level; promote inclusive education and training for all members of the Mount community; support efforts to create diverse and inclusive curriculum across the University; and strengthen the Mount’s offerings and engagement experiences through more effective and diverse community partnerships.
“I am excited to join Mount Saint Mary’s University during this pivotal moment in time,” said Hines-Gaither. “I have had the opportunity to meet several Mount community members already, and with every interaction I find a welcoming community that is deeply invested in the success of our synergistic vision for equity, diversity and justice. I look forward to building a sustainable vision with my new Mount colleagues.”
In sharing her vision about the Center, Dr. Hines-Gaither said, “We will be a cutting-edge training center for students, staff and faculty. We will fulfill the goals of our newly minted strategic plan by increasing representation and increasing our MSMU footprint. We will work diligently to become an anti-racist university. Finally, we will pursue a publishing agenda that tells our story and that sets a standard for other EDJ centers throughout the nation.”
During her time at Guilford, Hines-Gaither co-chaired the college’s first staff of color committee, served on the interfaith council, and provided cutting-edge equity programming. She also chaired the diversity and inclusion council’s subcommittees to increase equity in curricular/co-curricular programs and to combat bias in hiring.
She previously served as the inaugural director of diversity and inclusiveness at Salem College, a women’s college in North Carolina, which is also her alma mater. In that role, Hines-Gaither advised several multicultural student clubs and began the campus’ first large scale program for cross-cultural dialogues.
Her work for inclusion has been recognized locally and nationally. Guilford College has a perfect score of 5 on the Campus Pride Index for LGBTQIA friendliness, and was named a Top 30 institution in the nation for LGBTQIA support. Guilford College became the first institution in North Carolina to hire a coordinator dedicated to immigrants and refugees of varying documentation statuses. Dr. Hines-Gaither was named a Voice for Change by Spectrum News in North Carolina honoring her commitment to inclusion. She is a frequent speaker, workshop facilitator and scholar. She has taught Spanish, race & ethnicity studies, women and gender studies and (Afro) Latin American studies. She is currently under contract with Routledge Press to author a book on anti-racism.
Hines-Gaither has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature from Salem College and a master’s in Spanish language teacher education from Wake Forest University, both in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her doctorate is in cultural studies/critical theory and analysis from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
