Dr. Damira Grady is the vice president of college culture, climate, and community impact at Madison Area Technical College. In this role, she guides efforts to empower and inform students, faculty, staff, and the broader community to create an accessible, equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus climate through outreach initiatives, strategic oversight, educational programming, leadership opportunities, and social-cultural events. An established thought partner and advocate for equity and social justice, she forges multidisciplinary partnerships that create leadership opportunities and social mobility.
Dr. Grady brings an extensive leadership background in access and support and works tirelessly at refining processes, policies, and programs that support conscious, inclusive environments. She has taught at four-year and two-year institutions, worked at various nonprofits, and served on various community boards and advisory committees. As a current resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she has an unwavering commitment to removing barriers and creating opportunities for those in her community. She is also a licensed professional counselor and utilizes those skills to help organizations ensure that all programming, policies, and procedures consider the whole person.
Dr. Grady holds a Ph.D. in the advancement of learning and service in higher education from Cardinal Stritch University, a Master of Science in educational psychology with an emphasis in community counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Bachelor of Science in educational studies from the UW-Milwaukee. Dr. Grady is not a researcher or an expert but a practitioner with lived experience who works to center the needs of underresourced communities and dismantle privileged social narratives.
Education:
Ph.D. (Higher Education) | Cardinal Stritch University
M.S. (Educational Psychology) | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
B.S. (Adult Education) | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Past Experience:
Vice President College Culture, Climate, and Community Impact | Madison College
Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Support for Inclusive Excellence and University Diversity Officer Impact | University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh
Director of Student Accommodations and Interpreting Services | Milwaukee Area Technical College
Director of Pre-College Education | Milwaukee Area Technical College
Associated Lecturer, Master of Science in Adult Education, Community Counseling, and Human Services | University of Wisconsin-Platteville