Whitney Peoples, Ari Renda of Michigan Public Health recognized for DEI leadership
Alumnus Brandon Bond honored for role with LSA
University of Michigan School of Public Health staff members Whitney Peoples and Ari Renda were selected as recipients of the 12th Annual Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award (DDLA).
Peoples and Renda were recognized at the 2023 DDLA Ceremony on Jan. 30. This award is administered by the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office and sponsored by the Office of the Provost and University Human Relations (UHR). The award also includes $1,000 toward each for professional development activities that can be used during the 2024 calendar year.
“The thing I value most about Michigan Public Health is the community,” said Dean F. DuBois Bowman, who attended the awards ceremony. “Michigan Public Health continues to seek to cultivate a working and learning community based on connection, collaboration and care. We see these three values and practices as essential to creating and sustaining a sense of belonging for all the community members in the school and beyond.
“We are proud to have leaders on staff who share those beliefs in Whitney Peoples and Ari Renda as well as alumni like Brandon Bond and congratulate them on receiving the University of Michigan’s Distinguished Diversity Leaders Awards.”
Peoples ‘empowers’ colleagues
Peoples is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Michigan Public Health. She was nominated by Mateen Zafer, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program manager for Michigan Public Health; Melissa Creary, assistant professor, Health Management and Policy; and Paul Fleming, associate professor, Health Behavior and Health Education.
“I am incredibly grateful to have been nominated and selected as a recipient of the Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award this year,” Peoples said. “I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work not only in my passion, but also in my purpose.
“I also know that the work I get to do each day is not possible without the amazing team of people across the school and the larger university that I collaborate with on a regular basis. I greatly appreciate my colleagues for the nomination and for their partnership in the efforts to make the School of Public Health a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place.”
Zafer wrote: “Working with Dr. Peoples has been the most rewarding experience of my professional career to date. I have never felt more supported, more empowered, and more capable as a DEI professional than I have under Whitney’s leadership. Whitney’s vision for equity work and the infectious energy and presence she brings to any space she occupies are just two of her many superpowers.”
I am incredibly grateful to have been nominated and selected as a recipient of the Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award this year. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work not only in my passion, but also in my purpose.”
— Whitney Peoples
Creary wrote that “Since arriving at the School of Public Health, Whitney has galvanized a spirit of compassion and hopefulness. She has helped the school see what is possible in the DEI realm from a stance that is rooted in social justice values and imagination. She connects with students, staff and faculty and allows us to see what is possible by her deep-rooted compassion.”
Fleming wrote that Peoples “is a truth teller and inspires action from all those around her. Before Whitney’s presence at Michigan Public Health, people did not want to be involved in DEI work. However, under Whitney, people are opting into the work because they are inspired by her. She is a leader by example, putting equity into practice in her interpersonal relationships and the groups she leads.”
Renda goes ‘above and beyond’
Renda was nominated by three PhD students—Ember McCoy, Carissa Knox and Jake Haw—from the School of Environment and Sustainability, where Renda worked before taking the position of career services associate director in the Office for Student Engagement and Practice at Michigan Public Health.
“I’m grateful to have been nominated for this award by thoughtful and dedicated PhD students who I had the opportunity to collaborate with over the last couple years,” Renda said. “The work we did together was grounded in building a community of care and support when structures revealed their failings to protect people impacted by systemic oppression. I’m grateful for the ways we were able to build trust and community. In gratitude for being nominated and receiving this award, I want to further commit to courage, integrity, intentionality and care in all the work that I do.”
McCoy, Knox and Haw wrote: “Ari is fully committed to creating an environment where all feel welcome, valued and respected. In every context, Ari seeks to create a space where all can participate fully and, where appropriate, accommodations are made. Whether it’s the little things like remembering to turn on subtitles in Zoom meetings or the big things like providing an open door for students facing a crisis, Ari goes above and beyond to make the university accessible to students.
The work we did together was grounded in building a community of care and support when structures revealed their failings to protect people impacted by systemic oppression. ... In gratitude for being nominated and receiving this award, I want to further commit to courage, integrity, intentionality and care in all the work that I do.”
— Ari Renda
“As part of that, Ari made sure that they are qualified to support students in a variety of ways, including receiving certifications related to mental health, first aid, wellness coaching and trauma-informed services. Perhaps, most important, Ari is simply always willing to meet to help support students personally and professionally. In short, the PhD program at SEAS became a much more supportive, welcoming and community-minded space thanks to Ari’s leadership.”
Bond, MPH ’22, a mental health and well-being student advocate in the Dean’s Office of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, also was recognized.
Bond earned a dual degree at the University of Michigan—a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from the School of Public Health and a Master of Social Work in Global Social Work Practice and Management and Leadership from the School of Social Work.
While at Michigan Public Health, Bond served as president of the Public Health Student Assembly. He also participated on the Public Health Action Support Team and was a member of the Public Health Students of African Descent.
The DDLA originated in 2008 from a cooperative effort between the Office of the Provost and UHR. Its purpose is to spotlight the hard work and dedication of staff members who contribute to a diverse, welcoming and inclusive campus environment.