Donyell Roseboro has been named chief diversity officer at UNCW, after serving as the interim CDO since July 2020.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington conducted a national search for the position, interviewing several candidates. After consultation with university leaders, Chancellor Jose Sartarelli elected to suspend the search and extended an offer to Roseboro, according to a news release. 

“Dr. Roseboro is a proven leader who is dedicated to building, supporting and cultivating an inclusive campus,” Sartarelli stated in the release. “Diversity and inclusion are important components of the university’s mission and values. Dr. Roseboro and her team have worked tirelessly to develop strategies that foster a learning environment where all Seahawks belong and thrive. I am delighted she has accepted this opportunity to continue as our chief diversity officer.”

Under Roseboro’s leadership, the university has launched several initiatives, including a new Bridge Program (transitional support to college students from underrepresented populations), NextGen Post-Doctoral Fellowships (for doctoral candidates who hope to join UNCW faculty), and the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, the release stated.

She oversaw major renovations of Centro Hispano and the Upperman African American Cultural Center. Roseboro also worked with the Chancellor’s Renewal and Change Accountability Committee that reviews the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

“Although I was hopeful that we would be able to identify an external candidate who could lead our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, serving as the interim CDO for the last year and a half has reinforced my love for this university and its people,” Roseboro stated in the release. “It has restored my belief in our collective power for good. The commitment I have witnessed from students, staff and faculty inspires me to strengthen this work with intent and purpose. This is an architectural process. I am grateful for the opportunity to build a future grounded in honesty, framed by hope and secured with faith.”

Roseboro is a professor in the Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education.

"Since arriving at UNCW in 2007, she has excelled at helping the Watson College of Education strengthen partnerships with hundreds of K-12 schools across southeastern North Carolina, building trust between the university and the communities served by the schools," the release stated.

Roseboro also played an integral role in the successful launch of the university’s laboratory school, D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy, in 2018, among other accomplishments, according to the release.

She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum & teaching/cultural studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, a master’s degree in history from Wake Forest University and a bachelor’s in secondary education from UNC Chapel Hill.