Interim President Aondover Tarhule has announced that Dr. Byron Craig, assistant professor in the School of Communication, will serve as interim chief equity and inclusion officer, effective January 1, 2024. Craig replaces Dr. Doris Houston, who is returning to her faculty role in the School of Social Work. Craig will serve until a permanent CEIO is hired.
Craig has been at ISU for five years and is the co-president of the Queer Coalition affinity group for faculty and staff and a member of the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. He was recognized in 2023 for the University Service Award and the College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award (Tenure-Track Faculty) and selected for a Living Our Values Award in 2021.
“I am grateful Byron has accepted this vital role,” said Interim President Tarhule. “His dedication and leadership inside and outside of the classroom is exemplary, and I am confident he will continue to champion and enhance our equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts at Illinois State.”
Craig earned a master’s degree in African American rhetorical traditions and a Ph.D. in rhetoric and public culture with a concentration in African American rhetorical traditions from Indiana University Bloomington.
