DEI Council
OR DEI Council 2024
We are the Office for Research DEI Council.
We are dedicated to fostering an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the Office for Research. To achieve this, we allocate focused resources and provide tailored support to our staff. The DEI team is committed to offering opportunities for growth by facilitating engagement, delivering enriching learning experiences, and providing valuable resources. Our mission is to represent and support the diverse needs of our staff, ensuring everyone feels valued and included in our department.
The OR DEI Pulse newsletter is published quarterly to share a DEI theme to OR staff to encourage reflection and action. This summer we focused on Leading with Inclusion. The fall edition focuses on Implicit Bias.
- You can find the current training for Leading with Inclusion here.
- Future newsletter and programming themes will include:
- Understanding Power and Privilege
- Cultivating Anti-Racism and Equity
Ka’Terra Ashburn 
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern?
Ka'Terra Ashburn (she/her), senior technical trainer in the Center for Comparative Medicine
Why did you join the OR DEI council? To thrive in an increasingly complex world, organizations need diverse talent. To unlock the power and potential of that diverse talent, organizations need each employee to feel a sense of value, purpose and belonging. Which means, they also need inclusion. I’ve chosen to join the Office of Research Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council in efforts to be a part of the change.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year? My goal is to aid in DEI initiative progression and process improvements for all Northwestern faculty, staff, and students.
What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy spending time with loved ones, exercising, traveling, and exploring new restaurant venues!
Matt Golosinski
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern? Matt Golosinski (they/them), director of research communications
Why did you join the OR DEI council? The OR DEI council is a catalyst for creating a stronger, more inclusive community at Northwestern. Our work helps combat bias and ignorance while promoting values that advance individual worth, dignity, and opportunity. By doing so, we aspire to support people in their journeys to gain insights that enrich their engagement and understanding. At the same time, we hope to improve workplace and organizational outcomes.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year? Providing meaningful programming and resources to the OR team while exploring new opportunities to develop the council’s strategy, operation, and organization.
What do you like to do in your free time? Drink espresso and read. I read a lot—comic books, political theory, history, and dystopian fiction, though admittedly, these days, it is not always easy to tell dystopian fiction from fact.
Cassidi Hunkler
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern? Cassidi Hunkler (she/her/hers), Instructional Designer for Research Training
OR DEI Council Chair
Why did you join the OR DEI council? I joined the OR DEI Council after collaborating with the previous DEI Director to develop DEI training modules for OR staff. I have worked in DEI in a previous position, and I enjoy finding the intersection of my job as an instructional designer with DEI initiatives. I believe even though our work in OR can often not seem related to DEI, we can always find how our work can influence or be influenced by DEI issues.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year? I’m very excited to continue developing training modules for OR staff to access and interact with to continue their own journey and development with DEI. I am also really looking forward to creating and sharing our quarterly newsletter to keep people informed and connected with DEI events and resources.
What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy riding my bike around Chicago, frequenting coffee shops, swimming in the lake, and trying out new recipes at home.
Avril Liu
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern?
Avril Liu (she/her), contracts and negotiations manager for Sponsored Research. In this role, I direct the contracts team in the assessment and execution of various sponsored research agreements encompassing academic institutions, industry sponsors, international partners, and nonprofit organizations, as well as federal, state, and local governments. I am a proud University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate. I am also the current co-chair for Northwestern APIDA Staff Affinity Group (ASAG).
Why did you join the OR DEI council? The OR DEI Council speaks my love language because the council creates communities that empower different groups and share our uniform vision of access to opportunities for all. I am devoted to fostering the next generation of leaders in our office. The council helps create a home where diverse, empowered, and abundance-oriented leaders build solidarity with various groups within OR to collectively and strategically make opportunities accessible to everybody.
What do you like to do in your free time? I serve as an associate board member for the Chinese American Service League. I am a devoted volunteer for Chinese American Service League Pro Bono Legal Clinic and Chicago Asian Women Empowerment. I also am a passionate advocate for the APA/AAPI/AANHPI communities, especially for immigrants who have limited English proficiency.
Tera Moskal
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern? Tera Moskal (she/her/hers), ssenior project manager on the Research IT team
Why did you join the OR DEI council? I joined the OR DEI Council in its inaugural year with hope of being a voice for employees with disabilities.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year?
I am excited about increasing candidate diversity in the OR hiring process.
What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy singing and writing plays.
Darrick Northington
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern? Darrick Northington (he/him), mmanager of the employment lifecycle and staff recognition
Why did you join the OR DEI council? I joined because I believe DEI work is a vital site of community and belonging, and for community service--all important factors in my sense of self.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year? This is my first year on the Council so I'm particularly excited to just take in the experience, learn as much as I can about OR through DEI, and find ways to use my experience to make unique contributions to the Council.
What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy playing music, photography, and consuming all things 1980s.
Vanessa Obi
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern? Vanessa Obi (she/hers), Senior Research Study Coordinator at the Foundations of Health Research Center
Why did you join the OR DEI council? Throughout my life, I’ve always been interested in making everyone feel included, understood, and listened to. The work that I do on the OR DEI Council speaks a lot to my interests in Critical Race Theory in action.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year? This year I look forward to launching the DEI newsletter, creating engaging programming, and increasing awareness surrounding DEI work at IPR.
What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy learning new languages, reading anything I can get my hands on, volunteering coaching high school debate, and studying to be a yoga instructor.
Katie Wright
What is your name, pronouns, and current position at Northwestern?
Katie Wright (they/them), IRB analyst in the IRB Office
Why did you join the OR DEI council? I joined because I’m passionate about inclusivity in research. I previously worked as a researcher at a community health center and was inspired by the ways in which my team focused on accessibility, inclusivity and diversity in research, especially among LGBTQIA+ populations. I want to continue that work here.
What is something you’re excited about related to the DEI council this year?
I’m looking forward to hearing from the broader OR community about what they’d like the council accomplish. The council has some great plans and goals for the upcoming year, but I also want to prioritize addressing the needs and wants from OR as a whole.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to play Pokemon Go on long walks with my partner and our dog, play horror video games, and quilt!
Previous Council Members
2023
Amy Weber
Lora Zygman
Jessica Catania
Jim Bruning
Applications are currently closed.