May 10, 2021 – Tray Robinson’s Departure and Interim Chief Diversity Officer Search

Dear faculty and staff,

It is bittersweet to share the news that Chico State is planning for the departure of Tray Robinson, interim chief diversity officer and director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Tray has a wonderful opportunity ahead of him at Butte College as the inaugural Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism Officer. I am grateful to Tray for his decades of dedicated work on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) at Chico State and I look forward to recognizing him for his many contributions to campus next month.

Tray is an alumnus and has been a member of our campus community for more than three decades. After graduating in 1995, he worked as a resident director in Housing, EOP advisor, and admissions counselor. He also taught in the Multicultural and Gender Studies Department. For the past 16 years, Tray has served as director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Over the years, he has championed educational programming, staff and faculty training, served as a community liaison, and advocated for and accomplished innumerable EDI-focused institutional changes. Last week, Tray was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2020–21 Conversations on Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Tray’s gift for bringing people together and meeting people where they are, along with his patience with the sometimes slow but steady nature of EDI work, have made him an invaluable leader. He will be greatly missed, and we look forward to collaborating with him in his new role at Butte College.

At Chico State, EDI continues to be our foremost strategic priority. For this reason, I have decided to revise the reporting structure of the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). The CDO will report directly to me rather than the Vice President of Student Affairs, which will enable closer consultation with me and Cabinet as we continue to make progress on our EDI initiatives. 

Today, we will launch an internal recruitment for an Interim Chief Diversity Officer to serve the campus through the 2021–22 academic year. This position description and requirements are available on the HR Recruitment page. In fall 2021, the President’s Office will partner with the Executive Management Evaluation and Development Committee (EMEDC) to launch a national search for our Chief Diversity Officer with a target to have a new CDO in place by the 2022–23 academic year. We will also begin the search for a new director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion during the summer.

Thank you again to Tray Robinson for his service as the Interim Chief Diversity Officer this semester and his 27 years of remarkable service and dedication to Chico State. I hope you will join me at an event planned for June 17 to thank Tray and wish him well as he starts his new role July 1. Watch the announcements for more information.

Sincerely,

Gayle Hutchinson

President