The Rev. Karian Wright, who was born in Jamaica, is a minister in the Church of God and currently a program manager in the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) within the Graduate School at Stony Brook University.
The CIE is dedicated to increasing awareness of issues related to diversity at the university level, collaborating with faculty and staff to enhance the diversity of their respective departments, and at the national level, engaging in scholarly research activities and program assessment, with the ultimate goal of contributing to a greater body of knowledge related to issues of inclusion and diversity.
In her current role, Rev. Wright manages the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate – Transformation (AGEP-T) Program, called Frontiers of Research and Academic Models of Excellence (FRAME), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA) Program, called New York Consortium for the Advancement of Postdoctoral Scholars (NY-CAPS).
AGEP-T FRAME is committed to increasing diversity in the academy in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. AGEP-T FRAME is one of only six NSF AGEP-T Programs funded across the country.
FRAME graduate students and postdoctoral trainees conduct research and receive pedagogic training at Stony Brook University and/or Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The IRACDA NY-CAPS Program is one of 19 NIH funded programs across the United States. Postdoctoral scholars are selected for their promise in academic careers and their commitment to increasing diversity in the academy.
Prior to Stony Brook, Wright worked at Monroe College where she served primarily underrepresented minority students through recruitment in Admissions Student Services.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Jamaica
EDUCATION:
Monroe College, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration
OCCUPATION:
Program manager, Stony Brook University
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
PERSON I ADMIRE MOST:
The person she most admires is her dad, who is her hero. Although he stands over 6 feet tall, he is “one of the kindest, most affectionate individuals” she has ever known. He has always been her biggest supporter and has always encouraged her to do her best and be her best at all times.
