Beginning this semester, Renee Wells will be the new director at the GLBT Center. Her predecessor, Justine Hollingshead, has taken a new position as the assistant to the vice chancellor and dean of the Division of Academic and Student Affairs.
Wells, having studied and completed degrees from the Universities of Michigan, Miami and Illinois, said that she was drawn to NC State because she liked the structure of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.
OIED serves as the umbrella office for all cultural centers at NC State, including the GLBT Center.
Wells said she is excited to be working on a large campus again. Before coming to NC State, she spent the majority of her time teaching literature courses at the University of Alabama.
Although it is only her third week at NC State, Wells said she already has plans to better collaborate with the other centers that are part of OIED.
Wells said her top priorities for the GLBT Center are student development, figuring out how she and the department can support students and forming strong relationships across campus.
Both Wells and the GLBT Center will be working to accomplish these goals with campus administration. They plan to host events on campus that are designed to promote GLBT awareness and make sure that the policies and practices are inclusive to members of GLBT community.
Actress Lavern Cox from Orange is the New Black is scheduled to visit and give a speech on Nov. 11, 2014. Cox’s speech will discuss identity and what it means to be part of the GLBT community, specifically with transsexual issues.
Hollingshead has recently accepted a position newly-made by Michael “Mike” Mullen, Dean of Academic and Student Affairs.
Hollingshead said she has been working for NC State for 18 years. She began as an employee for University Housing and then spent the last seven years working as the director of the GLBT Center.
Hollingshead said her new position is a sort of “chief-of-staff” for DASA and a new addition to what Mullen calls his “cabinet.”
A major part of her current work is communicating with the student body in the most effective manner possible on matters such as crime reports and other emergencies. Hollingshead also said that increasing awareness about standard intervention is a top priority in her work.
In addition to these tasks, Hollingshead says that another part of her day-to-day work is to manage the “marketing and communications between DASA and other departments here at NCSU.”
When asked on her thoughts about the new director, Hollingshead said, “I think she’ll be able to take the GLBT center to the next level to what we want to do on campus. She’s very passionate and capable.”
Cassie Peele, a sophomore in computer science, said she has been involved with the GLBT community at NC State and praised Hollingshead for her contributions.
“I think a lot of people looked up to Hollingshead because she held everything together through coordination,” Peele said. “She helped keep things structured and was always there if you needed advice or support with anything.”
Peele also said she is excited to work with the new director.
“[Wells] seems really friendly and she has been able to handle everything even though she’s only been here for a short time,” Peel e said.
