Terri Jett, PhD

Terri Jett, PhD

Associate Vice President/Chief Diversity Officer

dei@stmarys-ca.edu

Dr. Terri Jett is from Richmond, California and has a BA in Ethnic Studies, an MPA from CSU-Hayward, and a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration from Auburn University. She began serving as the Associate Vice-President/Senior Diversity Officer at Saint Mary’s College of California in April 2024. 

Prior to this role, she became the first Black woman to be tenured, serve as Department Chair of the Political Science Department, and earn the rank of Full Professor of Political Science. Dr. Jett was also an affiliate faculty/stewardship committee member of the Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, a member of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, and was the Founding Faculty Director of the Butler University Hub for Black Affairs and Community Engagement (2021). Her book titled, “Fighting for Farming Justice: Diversity, Food Access and the USDA,” (Routledge) was published recently in 2021 and she is currently working on another book, “Talking About Race: James Baldwin and Margaret Mead Then and Now”. 

Dr. Jett is a twice-Emmy nominated moderator of the public radio/tv station WFYI’s Simple Civics shorts and is currently Vice-Chair of the Federation of State Humanities Councils and Chair of the Federation Racial Equity Committee. From 2019 to 2024 she served on the Board of the Indiana Humanities Council and 2017-2024 as a Mayoral Appointee of the Indianapolis Public Land Improvement Bond Bank Board. She has also served on the board of the Indianapolis Public Library and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. She was inducted as a 2023 Honorary Member of Phi Beta Kappa, Theta of Indiana Chapter.