LaVar Charleston

Website

Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement

Areas of Responsibility

LaVar Charleston oversees the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement. The division supports the mission of the University of Wisconsin-Madison as it works to create a diverse, inclusive, and excellent learning and work environment for all students, faculty, staff, alumni and others who partner with the university. Units within the division include:

• Academic Coaching and Tutoring Services (ACTS)
• Center for Educational Opportunity (CEO)
• Employee Disability Resources
• Learning Communities for Institutional Change and Excellence (LCICE)
• Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program (Chancellor’s & Powers-Knapp Scholarships)
• Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) / First Wave Scholars
• Posse Program
• Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE)
• Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

Biography

LaVar J. Charleston, Ph.D., is the deputy vice chancellor for diversity & inclusion at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In this role he serves as the chief diversity officer for the university as well as the Elzie Higginbottom vice provost and director of the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA).

In his role as chief diversity officer, Charleston provides overall leadership for the university’s efforts to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive learning and working environment for all students, faculty, staff, alumni and others who work with the university. Along with the staff of the DDEEA, he partners with leadership in the university’s schools, colleges and divisions, as well as shared governance groups, to create policies that promote equity and social justice while fostering a sense of belonging for all members of the UW–Madison community.