Mayuko Nakamura has been named the recipient of the 2022 David A. Strand Diversity Achievement Award.
Established by Illinois State President Emeritus David Strand in 1994, the award recognizes a current Illinois State University faculty or staff member who is instrumental in extraordinary curricular or program activities that assist the University in responding to its commitment to diversity.
Nakamura currently serves on the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, AsiaConnect, and Identity Editorial Board. She also served numerous campus diversity initiatives including the Campus Climate Taskforce, Provost’s Office’s Inclusive Leadership Initiative planning committee, CRCC planning committee, and the Multi-Ethnic Cultural and Co-Curricular Advisory Committee. Last year, Nakamura spearheaded the anti-racism working group for AsiaConnect and collaboratively organized presentations, group discussions, and forums for community healing during a difficult time in our society for attacks on members of the Asian community. This year, the working group is planning an event that commemorates the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta shooting.
Nakamura also engages in speaking opportunities at conferences and events at Illinois State University and national conferences. She is a coordinator at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), where she leads a professional development program called the “Foundations of Diversity and Inclusion” series, which consists of implicit bias, microaggression, and power and privilege workshops. Nakamura has had 138 Illinois State University faculty and staff complete all three workshops and earn the certificate. An additional 180 faculty/staff have taken at least one workshop in the series.
Nakamura earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon, her master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and earned her second master’s in developmental psychology from Illinois State University. She has taught education and psychology classes, honors seminars, and conducted research in intercultural competence, diversity, inclusion, and equity-related topics.
