SALT LAKE CITY–Westminster University announced today that Dr. Tamara Stevenson, Ed.D., was invited to join the American Council on Education’s ACE Fellowship program as part of its 2025–2026 cohort. Dr. Stevenson, currently Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, will join a distinguished community of 25 emerging higher education leaders from around the country.
“Dr. Stevenson’s selection as an ACE Fellow reflects not only her achievement as an educator and a leader, but also her inspiring and remarkable courage and commitment to leadership at this pivotal moment in higher education,” said Westminster University President Beth Dobkin. “I am immensely proud of Dr. Stevenson and look forward to the impact she’ll make during her fellowship year.”
The ACE Fellows Program, considered to be of the most selective and prestigious fellowships in higher education leadership development, nurtures aspiring leaders from colleges and universities around the country and engages them throughout their fellowship year. Fellows set specific learning goals around a self-chosen topic or challenge in postsecondary education policy, and learn from experts and their cohort as they work to make an impact towards solutions. To achieve these goals, Dr. Stevenson will take an administrative sabbatical during her fellowship year.
“I’m honored to be part of this incredible cohort of leaders, visionaries, and changemakers,” said Dr. Stevenson. “During my fellowship year, I’ll be ‘getting under the hood’ on some of the most pressing challenges facing higher education, creating innovative solutions with my cohort, and bringing my learnings back to Westminster.”
In addition to her roles in President Dobkin’s cabinet, Dr. Stevenson is also a professor of communication at Westminster University. She has developed and taught courses in human, organizational and intercultural communication; civil rights discourses, and professional writing. Her professional presentations address multiple dynamics of race, gender, power and privilege, and her research includes the study of racialized and gendered experiences of African-American male and female faculty and spans public policy and higher education.
Stevenson has been active in university-wide service, including membership on numerous committees and leadership of initiatives. She also served as faculty fellow for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from 2015–18. Her academic credentials include a doctorate and specialist of arts degree in educational leadership and a graduate certificate in community college leadership from Eastern Michigan University, along with a master’s degree in organizational communication and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Wayne State University.
Westminster University has a long tradition within the ACE Fellows program; in addition to Dr. Stevenson, Dr. Debbie Tahmassebi, Westminster’s Provost, and President Dobkin–who nominated Dr. Stevenson–have previously served as ACE Fellows.
