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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Faculty Emerita Venessa A. Brown, PhD, has received the 2026 Dr. Frank W. Hale Jr. Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).

The award recognizes an individual with a sustained record of service to inclusive excellence in higher education. Recipients demonstrate courageous and innovative leadership, advance the principles and practices of NADOHE, and make substantial contributions to the field.

The award honors the memory of Frank W. Hale Jr., PhD, former professor and Vice Provost for Minority Affairs and professor at The Ohio State University. For Brown, who spent approximately 30 years helping SIUE strengthen its culture of inclusion, the national recognition came as a complete surprise.

“I was shocked, and I was grateful,” said Brown. “Serving has always been my passion. I have always been committed to SIUE, and I have loved the University from the moment I came.”

Brown’s SIUE career encompasses teaching, administration, social work, athletics and institutional leadership. She served in several inaugural positions, including associate chancellor and chief diversity officer, associate provost for institutional diversity and inclusion, and associate athletic director for diversity, equity and inclusion. She also served as special assistant to the chancellor and was the first Black woman hired in SIUE’s Department of Social Work.

Across those roles, Brown developed initiatives designed to bring people into conversation and ensure that every member of the University community felt seen.

“I worked hard to make sure everybody was part of the community,” said Brown. “No matter what shift you work, no matter what department you work in, you matter at SIUE. I spent my whole career doing that.”

During periods of social unrest, Brown organized town halls, community conversations and conferences. Her work included SIUE’s Black Lives Matter conferences, the University’s inaugural Diversity Day and Diversity Strategic Plan Summit, heritage celebrations, mentoring programs and the creation of SIUE’s former Multicultural Center.

Brown also helped establish the University Diversity Council, guided the development of SIUE’s first comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan and supported the formation of the Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Her approach remained rooted in active listening and the belief that institutional change begins with human connection.

“My belief is that nothing happens outside of a relationship,” said Brown. “I went all over campus trying to let people know: We see you. You matter.”

That commitment extended to employees whose contributions could easily go unnoticed. Brown recalled stopping to speak with groundskeepers, painters, records staff, police officers and employees working overnight shifts. When campus activities or giveaways took place during the day, she went out of her way to ensure night-shift employees were also included.

“Stopping and having a conversation with people— that is how you make sure people feel like they belong,” said Brown.
Brown joined SIUE’s social work faculty after a career in Child Protective Services in Georgia. She had initially planned to remain at SIUE for only a few years, but a promise to colleague Judy Chingolani changed everything.

Chingolani became ill shortly after Brown arrived and asked her to stay long enough to help the social work program achieve full accreditation. Brown remained, helped develop the master’s curriculum and eventually built a career devoted to advancing the institution.

“I felt like there was a purpose for me being there and a reason why I came,” said Brown. “I grew with the institution, and I wanted to be a person who made a difference.”

Her tenure included numerous institutional firsts and national recognitions. During her leadership, SIUE received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for seven consecutive years and earned recognition for its work in student affairs. Brown also served on the NADOHE Board of Directors and the Illinois Board of Higher Education Diversifying Faculty in Illinois Board of Directors. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Human Rights Day Award from the Illinois Department of Human Rights. She was the force behind providing gender neutral bathrooms for the University community and a mainstay at St. Louis Pride Parades. Along with the office of Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination, she raised funds for LatinX student leaders to attend the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute in Chicago.

Brown remains active in her profession. She continues her child welfare work through a grant with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and leads NADOHE’s coaching and mentoring program, connecting diversity officers and other higher education professionals with experienced mentors.

Brown said hope, purpose and faith in SIUE sustained her through the most difficult periods of her career.

“I always believed SIUE would be the model for change and the model for inclusivity in this region,” she said. “That is what anchored my work.”

As she looks toward the next generation of higher education leaders, Brown hopes they will understand history without allowing it to become a barrier to building relationships and creating change.

She also hopes those who come to SIUE, whether they remain for a year or for a lifetime, will recognize the promise she saw in the institution.

“SIUE is where I grew up in higher education,” said Brown. “It is where I spent my career, where I wrote my two books and where I developed lifelong friendships and relationships. SIUE was built to change lives. It was built for the region to be a beacon of light that brings people and communities together.”

That conviction has guided Brown through decades of service and remains central to the philosophy by which colleagues know her best.

“You’ve got to be in it to win it,” said Brown. “No matter what.”

Photo: Venessa Brown, PhD.