Lisa Givan, CDE, CP-HIL, has won the Distinguished Women Leader award by American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network Indiana. The Distinguished Women Leader Award is the highest honor the network presents. Givan is the Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Belonging and Senior Diversity Officer at Indiana Institute of Technology as well as a NADOHE board member, incoming officer, and chapter president.
According to ACE, the award honors someone who advocates for women — especially in higher education or leadership roles — and is celebrated as providing leadership to women in their institutions, in addition to going above and beyond their regular job descriptions on behalf of women.
Timothy A. Raines, Ph.D., CDE, nominated Givan. In his letter, Raines said Givan more than meets the criteria for the award through her unwavering dedication to inclusivity. One of her accomplishments he mentioned is creating the Leveraging Engagement and Action in Diversity Executive Certificate program at Indiana Tech, which has achieved national recognition.
Givan also personally established and funds a scholarship for Black students, and has organized and supported events like the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration for Indiana Tech and the broader Fort Wayne community. Givan is also set to host a Black women's empowerment conference titled "The Journey Within: Investing in the Experiences of Black Women” this spring.
“She tirelessly advocates for inclusion, consistently challenging inequalities and biases within our community,” Raines wrote. “Her progressive change and sustainability track record is evident. Lisa's impact extends far beyond the confines of our institution, and her commitment to creating a lasting legacy of diversity and inclusion is genuinely inspiring.”
Givan will be recognized at the ACE Annual Conference on Feb. 23 in Indianapolis.
Know a NADOHE member who deserves recognition? Submit your Member Highlight suggestions to info@nadohe.org.