Office of the President

Chief Diversity Officer Mark Brimhall-Vargas

May 3, 2021

Dear Brandeis Community,

With immense gratitude for all that he has accomplished at Brandeis, I am writing to share the news that Mark Brimhall-Vargas, our first Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, has accepted a position at Fenway Health, the pioneering LGBTQ+ health care provider and research center in Boston. Starting this summer, Mark will serve as the organization's first Executive Vice President for Racial Equity and Social Justice.

Since joining Brandeis in 2017 to form the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Mark has overseen the establishment of the Office of Equal Opportunity, the Ombuds, and the Office of DEI Programs, Training, Education, and Development, and worked to transform the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Intercultural Center. He has provided training, advice, and counsel to numerous students, staff, faculty, departments, and our senior administrative team. Most recently, Mark has led the university’s efforts to establish our institution-wide Antiracism Plans in response to the nationwide reckoning with racial injustice.

Mark’s impact at Brandeis will not end with his departure. Brandeis remains committed to the many initiatives he has launched or supported. We will also soon begin a nationwide search with the aim of hiring a new Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of DEI by the beginning of the fall semester.

Mark will remain with us through July 23, and we will have an opportunity to thank him and celebrate his accomplishments before he leaves. In the meantime, please join me in thanking him for all he has done for Brandeis and wishing him the best in his new, exciting position.

Sincerely,

Ron Liebowitz