Barbara Coleman-Foster named new AVP of Equity and Diversity

Barbara Coleman-Foster has been named the new Associate Vice President, Equity & Diversity for Seminole State College of Florida. Coleman-Foster has been with Seminole State for 19 years and most recently served as the director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL). Over the years, she developed and facilitated workshops, volunteered with the College Reach Out Program (CROP), and served as co-presenter of diversity training for the Seminole County Guardian Ad Litem program. In 2011, she was recognized as a “Champion for Change”.

Her advocacy for diversity continued through involvement with various committees and taskforces to include the Multicultural Students Success Initiative Taskforce, the Black Faculty and Staff Association, Success Imperative Minority Students, the Minority Student Completion Taskforce, and more recently as a member of the H.O.P.E. Scholars Advisory Council and the Women Moving Forward Steering Committee.

In her role at the FCTL, she sponsored workshops on implicit bias, equity, diversity in the classroom, equitable classroom practices, syllabus redesign, and guided pathways. Through the FCTL, she promoted, advertised, and often supported department-sponsored events that raised awareness of diversity issues.

For the past two years, Coleman-Foster co-facilitated college-wide discussions of the Black Minds Matter course by Dr. J. Luke Wood. The most recent and relevant series on Black Minds Matter was the Seminole State Edition, which focused specifically on issues and topics related to Seminole State College.

Since 2019, she has served as an active a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Steering Committee. This committee organizes a full weekend of events in Sanford, Florida in honor of Dr. King. Additionally, in 2021, she was appointed to the City of Sanford’s Race, Equality, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. This committee serves in an advisory capacity to the City Commission and the staff of the City of Sanford. 

In addition to her undergraduate and master’s degrees, she has earned the USF certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace, and is currently pursuing her Ed.D. at Florida State University.

“Seminole State College is committed to providing a diverse and open environment in which to work and learn. Barbara’s vast experience, dedication and passion continues to be an invaluable resource for the growth for the diverse community we serve,” said Dr. Georgia Lorenz, president of Seminole State College.