Dr. Nicholas Lamar Wright works to ensure HDI’s practices are fully inclusive of all people. His commitment to this work has earned him the opportunity to do it nationally.
Wright was nominated and elected to serve as the Chair of Racial Justice Strategies on the Leadership Council for College Student Educators International, also known as ACPA. In this role, Wright will be a voting member of the Leadership Council. He will be involved in shaping ACPA’s policies and vision on racial equity moving forward.
“I think this position aligns closely with my role here at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute, where I serve as Director of Underserved Populations,” Wright said. “This elected role is deeply rooted in the equity model as well, making sure we have a clear vision of racial justice on the national level. It’s about focusing on what racial justice means within College Student Educators International (ACPA), but also what racial justice means across higher education…It’s about advancing racial equity across all of higher education.”
“This not only means creating policies but also helping to put those ideas into practice, whether through advocacy or training opportunities like workshops, trainings, and seminars.”
Wright is already known through College Student Educators International (ACPA), having previously served as the chair of the Multiracial and Transracial Adoptee Network. In that position, Wright found that he was working with and serving people who had similar experiences, which he found resonated deeply with his own.
From there, he received a nomination for his new position as a member of the executive board and was ultimately chosen for the position via an election across the entire organization.
“I always believe in myself, but it’s so nice when other people believe in me as well. I think they’ve seen some of my research focused on inclusivity, sense of belonging, authenticity, campus culture, disability equity, multiraciality, and other underrepresented populations,” Wright said. “It’s nice that they believe in that work, they see its impact overall.”
And for Wright, this position comes as an opportunity to put some of that research into action.
“It’s one thing to be a member and to have ideas of doing something, but serving on the executive level, being in the position to create strategic plans and implement programs, being able to not only have the ideas but have the responsibility and the resources to put that in action,” he said. “I think that’s something that I appreciate most, and I look forward to making a positive impact throughout all of higher education when it comes to being in this position.”
