Stony Brook University Honored as Vice President for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for Diversity Efforts and Achievements as an Elite College and Olympic Athlete
Stony Brook, NY – September 21, 2022 –Stony Brook University is proud to announce that Judith Brown Clarke, PhD, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Fitness Foundation. She will be in office from 2022 to 2028. The appointment was announced by Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra. Brown Clarke was also elected Chairman of the Board for the next two years.
Brown Clarke’s appointment recognizes her exemplary leadership in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. Her thought leadership and collaboration with multiple organizations, including fellowship and research institutions, are among the key attributes she brings to this appointment. In addition, Brown Clarke has also achieved exceptional success as a top athlete, having been a four-time NCAA track and field champion and a 1984 Olympic silver medalist in track and field.
“I can’t think of a better appointment, and I know firsthand how fortunate the National Fitness Foundation — and every organization — is to count Judith Brown Clarke among its leaders,” said Maurie McInnis, President of Stony Brook University. “As Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Judith Brown Clarke has worked at a critical time to set actionable goals for a just, equitable and humane campus community.”
“I am absolutely thrilled with the opportunity to use my deep passion for education, health, politics and sport/physical activity to make a meaningful difference in the life and well-being of our nation,” said Brown Clarke.
The National Fitness Foundation was established by Congress in 2010 to work with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (President’s Council) and set strategic priorities to further the purposes and functions of the President’s Council. The Foundation supports and strengthens the President’s Council’s mission by facilitating investments and partnerships that include, educate and empower all Americans to lead healthy, active lives. Specifically, the Board is charged with providing overall strategic direction related to the Foundation’s vision, mission, program scope, resource allocation and investment philosophy. It also provides guidance to the Foundation’s Executive Director on how to implement an operational agenda that achieves the objectives of the Board.
Regarding the recent appointment of new members to the National Fitness Board, “This seasoned group of advisors will enable the National Fitness Foundation to take the next step in advancing our nation’s health through fitness and nutrition,” said Xavier Becerra, HHS Secretary. “These leaders will help shape the Foundation’s direction as it seeks to advance the Council’s important mission of supporting sports, health and fitness initiatives for young people.”
Other newly appointed Board members include: Scott Goudeseune, Chief Executive Officer, American Council on Exercise (ACE); Elizabeth Kunz, Executive Director, Girls on the Run International; Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH, Professor and Dean, School of Public Health at the University of Maryland and former Acting Surgeon General; Michael McConnell, MD, MSEE, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Cardiovascular and Digital Health, Tesseract Health and Clinical Professor of Medicine, Stanford University; Suzanne McCormick, President and Chief Executive Officer, USA YMCA; Damon Phillips, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at NBC Sports Group and Head of Diversity & Inclusion and James Siegal – Senior Fellow, KABOOM!.
About dr Judith Brown Clarke
dr Judith Brown Clarke is Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for Stony Brook University and Health System. Vice President Clarke reports directly to the University President and sits on the University’s senior leadership teams, including the President’s Cabinet, University Council, Vice Presidents Council and Campus Climate. She has over seventeen years of experience working in senior management teams shaping strategic plans for diversity and establishing infrastructures for inclusive excellence and justice sustainability. This includes determining accountability metrics that facilitate progress and using data-driven, evidence-based practices for decision-making.
Clarke is adept at facilitating open dialogue in difficult multi-constituency conversations by building trust, empowerment and team building. She has a strong portfolio of grant funding that has been used to increase resources for Stony Brook’s diversity initiatives. This includes her experience as a Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI or Senior Associate on multiple grant projects totaling over $60 million. Clarke has demonstrated effective survey, analysis, problem solving, and predictive analytical processes using benchmark metrics that align directly with the institution’s goals.
Clarke is currently an American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) 2022 Millennium Leadership Initiative Fellow, Chair of the Association of American Universities (AAU) CDO Steering Committee, Treasurer of the United State Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Harvard Advanced Leadership Senior Fellow and a member of an external advisory committee for three NSF-funded Science and Technology Centers (STC) – Center for Cellular Construction (CCC), Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX), and Bio-Computation Evolution in Action Network (BEACON).
Clarke previously served on the External Advisory Committee of the WK Kellogg Biological Research Station, the Director’s Research Advisory Committee of the MSU National Superleading Cyclotron Laboratory, the International Advisory Committee of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, and the External Advisory Committee of Nevada’s EPSCoR Grant for the Study of Solar, wind and hydro power.
Clarke has a strong athletic track record, being a 4-time national collegiate champion, 12-time Big Ten winner, 3-time Pan American Games gold medalist, 1984 Olympic silver medalist and 1987 Sports Illustrated Woman of the Year.
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About Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University, New York’s flagship university and the number one public university in New York State, goes far beyond the expectations of today’s public universities. With nearly 26,000 students, 2,800 faculty members, more than 200,000 graduate students, a world-class academic medical center and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive, world-class innovation center dedicated to solving the world’s toughest challenges. Delivering on its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, the university is ranked among the top 35 public universities forbes and one of the top 100 universities in the country by the US News & World Report List of the best colleges. By fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavor, Stony Brook’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) ranks it among the top 65 research institutions in North America. The university’s distinguished faculty has received prestigious awards such as the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the Indianapolis Prize for Animal Welfare, the Abel Prize, and the first Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-administering Brookhaven National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy – one of only eight universities involved in operating a national laboratory. The university provides economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, generating an impressive total of $7.23 billion in Long Island economic output. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/) and Twitter(@stonybrooku).
