Area Commissioner Elected to National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

An Area Commissioner from Aiken Technical College’s governing board has been re-elected to the Association of Community College Trustees’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee.

Keyatta Priester, a member of the Aiken County Commission for Technical and Comprehensive Education, has been elected to a second term on the national committee.

“I am extremely honored to serve a second term on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee representing ATC and over 1,200 technical, junior, and community colleges in the United States and beyond,” said Priester. “I hope to advocate for change and equal opportunities for all by focusing on equity-minded representation in the educational system, including socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, gender identity, and disability, among others, by lending my time, talents, treasures, and personal testimonies to the DEI committee.”

Through the committee, Priester has been involved with DEI initiatives, such as developing a DEI toolkit for community college leadership. The toolkit is being used in both the educational and business sectors to help boards and institution leaders develop and support DEI goals and continuous improvement and progress toward reaching the goals, said Priester.

The effort was led by Dr. Yvonne Barnes, an Area Commissioner for Trident Technical College in Charleston, S.C.

“As a representative of the Association of Community College Trustees DEI committee and as an ATC commissioner, I represent a broad base of those who are often voiceless or left out, including women, women of color, and rural areas,” said Priester. “The work of this committee transcends from the education sector and applies to all facets of life and employment.”

The toolkit information can be found here: https://www.acct.org/files/ACCT8145%20%28Diversity%20Equity%20Inclusion%20Guide%29v2_Final_08-25-2020.pdf