Meet the iDAB Team
See the results of our staff survey!
Say Hello
If you have any questions, want to learn more, need someone to talk to, or want to get involved,
please reach out to us - we're here to help.
Kelsey Anito
"I believe VUIT should be a workplace where each individual feels included and comfortable being themselves, but also a workplace where individuals have the freedom and trust to discuss when they don’t. This initiative is the first step toward creating that workplace and I am honored to be a part of it."
Jacob Few
"By focusing on diversity, we can become more inclusive, more fair, and develop a more productive work environment, and I believe it is our responsibility as members of the Vanderbilt community to promote inclusion and diversity across campus. It is my hope that through iDAB we can continue to help VUIT flourish into a talented, diverse community that all members are proud to be a part of."
Ali Behnam-Gilani
"I would like to see the VUIT team continue to grow and attract talent and passion from all walks of life. Diversity is important because our country, our school, and our workplaces are increasingly consisting of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. There is so much that we can learn from each other and diversity enforces different perspectives within our workplace while it discourages stereotyping. While diversity is vital, inclusion creates work environments where employees can be who they are and share ideas knowing their unique point of view is heard and valued."
Amanda Jacob
"Having a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment assures all persons the opportunity to be their whole self, thus enabling best efforts to be put forth without barriers. I joined the iDAB group to help drive change; to help have open conversations about EDI topics; to help those that may have biases (conscious or unconscious) to acknowledge and overcome those biases; to help individuals have empathy. Being a Mommy of diverse littles, I want to do all that I can to help shape work environments for our future generations."
Megan Naughton
"Plainly, inclusion means all people are comfortable speaking up. More voices means more opportunity to find an excellent idea. If those voices don’t reflect a variety of experiences and perspectives, everyone is saying the same thing, guaranteeing a mediocre result. I refuse to settle for mediocrity."
Dylan Platz
"I think we all have the ability to promote a culture built upon acceptance and inclusion – and to be completely honest I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to do exactly that. Everyone is different and yet everyone deserves a seat at the table, deserves their differences to be celebrated. Our differences make us strong and our willingness to learn from others allows us to grow. That’s why I joined iDAB: to celebrate, to grow, and to make a difference where I can."