Campus News

Brooks Takes on New Role as Executive Director for Institutional Engagement

Jason Brooks
Former director of UK's Martin Luther King Center, Jason Brooks, takes on a new role at UK. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 15, 2020) — Effective immediately, Jason Brooks will serve as the executive director for institutional engagement for the University of Kentucky, a new position designed to support, develop and maintain collaborative relationships throughout campus, working in partnership to create initiatives to recruit and retain diverse students, staff and faculty.

In recognizing that the university’s success is dependent on how well we value, engage and include the rich diversity of the Wildcat family, the Office for Institutional Diversity (OID) and the Division for Student and Academic Life (SAL) sought an administrator to lead a holistic institutional engagement initiative that ensures the success of our campus community. 

“It is an honor to serve the greater UK community as the new executive director for institutional engagement,” Brooks said. “Within my role, I feel that I have an obligation as an educator to transcend past the rhetoric of diversity and inclusion but become more of a transformative ally in the promotion of equity and justice. I look forward to continuing my work in equity for years to come at UK.” 

Previously, Brooks served as the director of the Martin Luther King Center. Responsible for strategic oversight of many of the most integral institutional initiatives focused on diversity, inclusion and belonging, Brooks has connected with countless members of the campus community. Leading the center, Brooks played a key role in the recruitment, retention and graduation of UK’s diverse student population, working to support a welcoming campus climate. 

Over the course of his time with the university, Brooks has taken that support and created a whirlwind of initiatives and priorities for the MLK Center. His past experience will prove helpful moving forward as he will now be responsible for the creation and implementation of a vision for inclusive excellence at the university. 

“I'm delighted to have Jason in the very important position of executive director for institutional engagement,” said Vice President for Institutional Diversity Sonja Feist-Price. “As we consistently strive to create a community of inclusive excellence — recognizing that our success is predicated on how well we value, engage and include the rich diversity that exists throughout our campus community — the work of the executive director for institutional engagement is extremely important. Jason has a proven track record of success in his former role as director of the Martin Luther King Center. I am excited about the ways in which Jason will help to advance the work of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our campus community and beyond.”

In his new role, Brooks will work closely with Feist-Price, the provost, associate provosts, college deans and Enrollment Management. He will also work with student and academic support colleagues to implement high impact practices to further understand and execute student support strategies across multiple fronts. 

Coming to the university in 2018, Brooks has put an emphasis on enhanced diversity programming and increased collaboration between departments, divisions and community organizations.His knowledge regarding issues of inclusion, diversity and belonging along with his strategic vision for equity on campus will be instrumental in the development of the executive director for institutional engagement role on campus.

As Brooks takes on this new role, the Martin Luther King Center will be led by Jamahl McDaniel who will serve as interim director. 

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.