Mission and Vision
People, culture, and community are core to our mission and operations. Our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are centered on three objectives:
- Inspire Belonging – foster an inclusive intellectual climate in which all identities are affirmed and valued
- Empower Potential – equip individuals of exceptional promise to become scholars, leaders, and innovators by increasing opportunities for development and engagement outside of the classroom
- Create Community – develop spaces for connection, networking, and socializing to interact with and learn from others
“Changing the course of history, and dismantling racist institutions and traditions, requires us to alter the ways many of us view the world, interact with each other, and even understand ourselves. If we are to effect real, meaningful, and lasting change, the first step is understanding how we got where we are today. ”
Ed Schlesinger
Benjamin T. Rome Dean Whiting School of Engineering
Meet Our Team.
Office of Outreach and Belonging
Darlene F. Saporu
Associate Dean of Outreach and Belonging
Darlene Saporu currently serves as the associate dean of Outreach and Belonging at the Whiting School of Engineering. Before joining Hopkins, she was the assistant dean of diversity at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
In her current role at the School of Engineering, she provides strategic vision and programmatic leadership on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Saporu has spearheaded numerous initiatives at Hopkins aimed at improving the school climate, recruiting, and retaining students and faculty who contribute to the diversity and excellence of our community, building partnerships with HBCUs and other peer institutions, and addressing concerns and providing support and mentoring to students and faculty on a wide range of issues. Some highlights of her work include the incredibly successful Passport to Future Technology Leadership program, an 18-month career preparation program for doctoral students interested in entering industry upon graduation, as well as the Explore Hopkins Program which was developed to provide students with a personalized opportunity to visit and learn about WSE's doctoral programs from current student and faculty.
She is the co-PI of a National Science Foundation AGEP Alliance grant called Project ELEVATE. The goal of the $3 million award is to develop a career advancement model for early career faculty at selective institutions.
University of Wisconsin Madison, BS
Ohio State University, PhD
Stacey Marks
Diversity Program Manager
As the program manager for the WSE Office of Outreach and Belonging, Stacey works to expand our recruitment programs and partnerships, implement community building and professional development to support the success and retention of exceptional graduate students and manage initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and drive a culture of inclusive excellence.
University of Maryland Baltimore County, BS
Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, MS