Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Office of Diversity and Inclusion Selects 2 Staff Members for Administrative Fellowship

Tuesday, October 17, 2023, By Christine Grabowski
Share
Diversity and Inclusionstaff

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) has announced that Jorge A. Castillo and Amy Messersmith have been awarded the ODI Administrative Fellowship. Earlier this year, ODI invited staff members to apply for the fellowship in an effort to further elevate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility on campus, as well as promote leadership and professional development for University employees.

Castillo and Messersmith will each conduct research projects to advance the priorities outlined in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan.

Jorge A. Castillo portrait

Jorge A. Castillo

Castillo, director of the LGBTQ Resource Center, plans to develop and implement a trans employee toolkit. “Syracuse University is committed to being a safe and welcoming campus for all community members, as reflected in its nondiscrimination and equal opportunity policy statement. This includes people of all gender identities and expressions,” says Castillo. “However, to implement this policy, University employees must be provided with the resources necessary to attract, retain and promote the best talent. This includes ensuring that trans and nonbinary individuals are treated with respect and dignity to foster a sense of belonging.”

The trans employee toolkit proposed by Castillo has two target audiences: potential employees or current employees who are trans and/or transitioning (socially and/or medically), and supervisors, managers, co-workers or hiring managers who can ensure that all employees have a sense of belonging at Syracuse University. During The D.E.I.A. Symposium, which was presented by the ODI on Oct. 3, Castillo hosted a roundtable along with campus partners to discuss what trans inclusivity looks like in the current political climate that has seen close to 570 anti-trans bills introduced this year alone.

“The toolkit will provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ where folks can find information on updating University systems to reflect their name, pronouns and legal sex designation; suggestions on how to share their identities (should they choose to) with their supervisor and team members; how to navigate trans health if using University insurance; and off-campus resources to access medical services, social and community networks,” says Castillo.

Amy Messersmith portrait

Amy Messersmith

Amy Messersmith, associate director of the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program and TRIO Student Support Services—part of the School of Education’s Center for Academic Achievement and Student Development—plans to facilitate storytelling through podcasting. “My goal is to tell stories from the campus community that pertain to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in some way,” says Messersmith. “My hope is to humanize one another through personal storytelling as a way to tap into our shared humanity.”

Messersmith’s proposed pop-up podcast studio will allow her to capture stories anywhere on campus, not just in a specific studio, aimed at fostering inclusion and belonging focusing on students and their lived experiences; administrative offices to humanize and help build connections across campus between staff; and other topics that might emerge out of discussions and meetings that Messersmith has as an ODI fellow.

“The intended outcome for these podcast projects is that it brings us closer together as a campus community and therefore strengthens our sense of belonging and inclusion on campus,” says Messersmith. “In a safe environment, campus community members will share stories in a way that allows the listener to find themselves in each other’s stories. We want to humanize each other across the silos of the University, and we want to tap into our shared humanity as individuals with different backgrounds and identities.”

Messersmith’s vision came to life when she recorded her first episode of the podcast on Sept. 29, at the Intercultural Collective. “It’s rewarding to see an idea come to fruition. I was able to sit down with some amazing students to share their stories with openness, honesty and courage,” she says. Messersmith’s plan is to release the podcasts on a monthly basis in the future.

“The projects that both Jorge and Amy will complete as our inaugural administrative fellows align directly with the needs I have heard from campus,” says Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Mary Grace Almandrez. “Staff, students and faculty seek inclusion on campus. Jorge’s toolkit is a tangible inclusion resource, and Amy’s stories will highlight the ways our students and staff find community on campus.”

  • Author

Christine Grabowski

  • Recent
  • Arts and Sciences Hosts Inaugural Scholarship and Research Gala
    Friday, May 9, 2025, By Sean Grogan
  • Chancellor Kent Syverud Honored as Distinguished Citizen of the Year at 57th Annual ScoutPower Event
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By News Staff
  • New Maymester Program Allows Student-Athletes to Develop ‘Democracy Playbook’
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • From Policy to Practice: How AI is Shaping the Future of Education
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Christopher Munoz
  • Kohn, Wiklund, Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professors
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In Campus & Community

Arts and Sciences Hosts Inaugural Scholarship and Research Gala

The College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) kicked off a new tradition for recognizing A&S faculty excellence and achievements from over the past year with its inaugural Scholarship and Research Gala. The May 1 event was held in the Schine…

Chancellor Kent Syverud Honored as Distinguished Citizen of the Year at 57th Annual ScoutPower Event

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud was recognized by Scouting America, Longhouse Council, as the Distinguished Citizen of the Year at the organization’s 57th annual ScoutPower dinner. The annual fundraiser is one of the biggest scouting events in the nation and…

Kohn, Wiklund, Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professors

Three Syracuse University faculty members have been named Distinguished Professors, one of the University’s highest honors. The designation is granted by the Board of Trustees to faculty who have achieved exceptionally distinguished stature in their academic specialties. The newly named…

Syracuse Athletics Records Highest APR Score in 4 Years

Syracuse University Athletics continues to demonstrate its commitment to academic excellence, as shown in the latest release of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Academic Progress (APR) data. The University earned a single-year score of 989 (out of 1,000) for the…

SOURCE Enables School of Education Undergraduates to Research, Explore Profession

Through a research project funded by the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), School of Education (SOE) seniors Denaysha Macklin ’25 and Emma Wareing ’25 are continuing research to investigate barriers women of color face in advancing…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.