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RALEIGH – City Manager Marchell Adams-David has named Dr. Aretina Hamilton as the new Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Raleigh.
She comes to Raleigh from Brandeis University, where she led educational initiatives focused on social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She provided strategic leadership to advise leaders, faculty, and staff across campus on a wide range of issues, including supervisory practices, multiculturally competent pedagogy, and institutional policy and programming. Dr. Hamilton addressed faculty and staff recruitment and retention, recommended services to support the retention of historically underrepresented groups, and provided institutional training and programmatic opportunities.
“We feel very fortunate to have Dr. Hamilton on our team,” said Adams-David. “She brings an important perspective as we work collectively to make our community stronger, more unified and more inclusive.”
Dr. Hamilton earned a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Kentucky, a Master’s in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware, and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Kentucky State University. She also holds a certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Kentucky. As a public scholar, Dr. Hamilton writes and talks about the impact of racial trauma, place-making practices of African American communities, and collective spaces of resistance and belonging in the American South. Much of her professional work focuses on gentrification, urban development, displacement, homelessness, and the shifting cultural landscapes of the South.
“I am deeply excited about the opportunity to return back to the state of North Carolina and to a city that is quickly becoming an epicenter for science, technology, culture, and education. This work is deeply personal to me. As a cultural geographer and native southerner, I am excited to return to the soil that shaped me into the scholar and practitioner that I am today. In my work, I often reflect on the feeling of placelessness that not only afflicts historically marginalized and excluded communities, but increasingly touches the lives of every American. I am looking forward to being part of a community-building process that can help residents of Raleigh from all walks of life create a sense of belonging.”
Dr. Aretina Hamilton’s first day with the City of Raleigh will be January 31.
