March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 41 F

AACC names James Felton first Chief Diversity Officer

James Felton
James A. Felton III is Anne Arundel Community College’s inaugural Chief Diversity Officer.

With diversity of its student population continuing to rise, Anne Arundel Community College has named James A. Felton III as its first Chief Diversity Officer as part of the college’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. In the spring term, almost a third – 32.6 percent – of credit students identified themselves as part of a racial or ethnic minority.

As Chief Diversity Officer, AACC President Dawn Lindsay says Felton will take a significant leadership role in meeting the needs of the college’s increasingly diverse student body while building an inclusive climate on campus. Before coming to AACC, Felton was the inaugural Director for Intercultural Affairs and an adjunct instructor for Human Services at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. His professional achievements include working on the nationally renowned University of Wisconsin’s Diversity Plan 2008 (Green Bay campus), providing oversight for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Partnership Pre-college Program for underrepresented middle and high school students and managing a Multicultural Fellowship program for 100 students at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa.

A noted leader, educator, mentor and scholar-practitioner in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, Felton has presented more than 50 workshops and presentations on leadership and diversity; coordinated national scholarship and mentor programs for underrepresented students; partnered with corporate, federal agencies and nonprofit organizations to promote programs on diversity and social justice; and worked on numerous strategic and campus diversity plans.

Felton is a member of the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Organization (HETL), the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) and the National Association for Student Affairs Professionals (NASPA). Recently, he was appointed to the National Advisory Council for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE). He is also an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

Felton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Global Leadership with a concentration in Academic Administration from Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Ind.

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