Our Staff

Lee Bitsóí
LeManuel "Lee" Bitsóí, PhD
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
781-736-4411 Gryzmish 75-127
Pronouns: he/him/his

LeManuel Lee Bitsóí (Diné), EdD, is a critical ethnographer and bioethicist. He is a skilled diversity, equity and inclusion leader and administrator, and as vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Brandeis, he brings extensive experience in collaborating with students, faculty, and staff to implement diversity-driven initiatives, policies  and programming. His previous appointments include director of student diversity and multicultural Affairs at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and chief diversity officer at Stony Brook University. Additionally, Dr. Bitsóí has devoted his career to enhancing opportunities for under-represented minority students to become scientists, science educators and scientifically informed community members.

Previously, Dr. Bitsóí served as lead Native American scholar for an initiative focusing on men of color sponsored by The College Board. He also served as secretary, board of directors, Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. A first-generation Native American (Navajo) graduate of New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, Dr. Bitsóí earned a bachelor of science degree with honors from the University of New Mexico, where he was initiated into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He holds a master of education degree from Harvard University where he was initiated into another prestigious honor society — Phi Delta Kappa. Dr. Bitsóí earned a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania where his research focused on the conditions that encourage and discourage American Indians from pursuing higher education, a subject upon which he continues to publish.

Reporting Office Directors

Habiba Braimah
Habiba Braimah
Director, Intercultural Center
781-736-8584 East Quad, Swig Hall
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Habiba Braimah is director of the Intercultural Center and a doctoral candidate in social policy at Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She received her MA in higher and postsecondary education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and her BS in international business and marketing at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh College.

Before her doctoral studies, Habiba served as a higher education scholar-practitioner working in various student-facing roles, including serving as an area coordinator with the Department of Community Living at Brandeis University, an academic advisor for the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) at the City University of New York at LaGuardia Community College, and a recruitment and training associate at Matriculate, a non-profit organization established to provide college access to high-achieving, low-income high school students.

Throughout her professional career, Habiba has worked closely with students from various backgrounds, with a particular focus on Black, Latinx, Asian and Indigenous students, first-generation students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. As the director of the Intercultural Center, Habiba is deeply committed to building and strengthening Brandeis’ university-wide culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Don Greenstein
Don Greenstein, JD
University Ombuds Director
Pronouns: he/him/his

Don Greenstein, JD, has a background in conflict management, mediation, facilitation, organizational development and creative dispute management processes. He has over 34 years of experience working with an array of situations and assisting in peaceful conflict resolutions.

Don is a “re-formed” attorney, with a passion for empowering people and entities with ongoing and long-term relationships to find acceptable outcomes for all involved. He volunteers to train and mentor mediators in court-based and community mediation programs as well as facilitating Restorative Justice Circles.

In addition to serving as the Brandeis University Ombuds Director, Don is an affiliate of Boston Law Collaborative, adjunct professor with the MGH Institute for Medical Professionals. He has been a senior affiliate of the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration and is a retired embedded dispute resolver reservist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency where he was involved in emergency disaster responses throughout the US. Don is a member of the Association of Conflict Resolvers, International Ombuds Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Environmental Protection Agencies’ Environmental Roster, and the Boston Law Collaboration Workplace and Business Mediation Roster.

Charles Chip Mc Neal
Charles Chip Mc Neal, PhD
Director, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education and Learning Initiatives
781-736-8791 Berstein-Marcus 73-140
Pronouns: he/him/his

Charles Chip Mc Neal, PhD is a former professional dancer, and award-winning educator, researcher, civic leader and activist – engaging in transdisciplinary practice across sectors, with a focus on arts, educational equity, social justice, community engagement, and cultural intelligence. Dr. Mc Neal consults as an Inclusive Leadership Coach, Equity Advisor, and Integrated Learning Specialist. He guides government agencies, businesses, and school districts and universities on change management, creative collaboration, equitable policies, and arts integration. Dr. Mc Neal has over 30 years of senior leadership experience and flexibly negotiates the intersection between social justice, creativity, technology, and professional learning. A pioneering leader in the field of equity, Dr. McNeal was the first Director of Diversity, Equity and Community for the San Francisco Opera. In that role, he lead initiatives aimed at cultivating new audiences and diversifying classical arts, creating a safe working environment for all. Dr. Mc Neal holds two bachelor’s degrees – in psychology, and sociology from Excelsior University, and a master’s degree in education from Lesley University. He received his doctorate in Transformative Studies in Education from California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco.

Jacob Tabor
Jacob Tabor
Director, Office of Equal Opportunity
Pronouns: he/him/his

Jacob Tabor is the director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and also serves as the university’s Title IX and ADA/Section 504 coordinator. Jacob received his JD at Boston College Law School and his BA in Political Science at Colorado College. Before joining Brandeis, Jacob served as a civil rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). In that role, Jacob enforced federal civil rights laws, investigating civil rights complaints filed against elementary, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions involving allegations of discrimination based on protected classes: race, color and national origin; sex, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity; disability; and age. Jacob also served as a neutral mediator, helping parties reach private agreements in civil rights disputes, and helped lead the OCR Boston’s Diversity Committee.

Before joining OCR, Jacob worked as a commercial litigator at a large Boston law firm and clerked for Judge Harris L. Hartz on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Jacob’s passion for civil rights in the educational setting stems from his own experience growing up with learning disabilities, his steadfast belief that all individuals should be treated with dignity and respect, and his desire to help create a safe and inclusive environment for all. Jacob recognizes that dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion requires a lifelong investment in learning from others, and a commitment to ongoing self-improvement.