Venus Ricks named Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Commonwealth of PA.

Congratulations to Venus Ricks, M.Ed., former lab coordinator in Dr. Kristin Buss’ Emotion Development Lab, who was named the first ever Director of the newly created Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!

In 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf established the Office of Advocacy and Reform in order to “protect Pennsylvania’s vulnerable populations.” The new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will “lead efforts with state agencies and employers across the commonwealth.”

Venus received her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her B.A. in Sociology from Susquehanna University. She has worked in social services and higher education administration, as well as teaching and facilitating in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion for almost 20 years. In the Emotion Development Lab, Venus worked on the LAnT and TEENS projects.

We wish Venus continued success in her new role!