Rhode Island School of Design, Vice President for Social Equity and Inclusion

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has selected Rame Hanna as the Vice President, Social Equity and Inclusion. 

Rame most recently served as the inaugural vice chancellor for Inclusive Culture and Belonging at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where they led campus-wide efforts to integrate DEIB goals across institutional priorities. Under their leadership, UCCS earned several national designations, including LGBTQ+ Friendly Campus, Military-Friendly School, Age-Friendly University, and First-Generation Forward, and launched new initiatives such as a land acknowledgment developed with Indigenous partners, a cultural mindfulness calendar, and an artist residency focused on disability art and culture.

Prior to UCCS, Rame held roles at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Olin College of Engineering, the College of the Holy Cross, and Dartmouth College, advancing DEIB strategy, faculty development, and organizational change.

They hold a BA in Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MS in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University. Rame is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership, Research and Policy at the University of Colorado, with research focused on social justice education, leadership development, and cultivating cultures of belonging in higher education.

Keight Tucker Kennedy led this search with Lehman Robinson and Alexis Scott.