The measles ‘is not a benign disease’
March 5, 2025
Michelle Manno has been named associate provost for community enrichment, effective immediately, Provost Kathleen Hagerty announced today.
In this new role, Manno oversees the Office of Community Enrichment (OCE), which now brings Native American and Indigenous Affairs, the Women’s Center and the Center for Civic Engagement under one reporting umbrella.
“The Office of Community Enrichment is rooted in the University’s guiding principles and priorities,” Hagerty said. “Michelle’s leadership experience and natural talents for bringing people together will help us build a new office for promoting community across Northwestern’s campuses. Michelle is an empathetic and strategic leader who has, for years, been an exemplar in this space.”
OCE’s vision is to build a Northwestern community rooted in belonging, learning through difference, and helping each member of the community thrive.
Michelle’s leadership experience and natural talents for bringing people together will help us build a new office for promoting community...”
“I am thrilled to take on this role and activate OCE’s core values: courage, integrity, curiosity, stewardship and abundance,” Manno said. “Here at Northwestern, we have incredible scholars, students and community members with perspectives and experiences that are essential to our shared success, and we are going to build on the strength of our people. Cultivating an enriched community is going to be a collective effort, and OCE welcomes everyone to be part of it.”
Manno joined Northwestern as Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion in 2022 and had served as Interim Chief Diversity Officer since January 2024. During her time at Northwestern, Manno has overseen training, guidance and educational opportunities for University community members; created new initiatives around conflict and dialogue; and facilitated collaboration with University partners. Previously, Manno served as assistant vice chancellor of diversity initiatives and as faculty affiliate in the Department of Sociology at University of Illinois Chicago.
Manno earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, a master's degree in sociology from UIC and a Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University.
OCE represents an evolution from Northwestern’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and will carry on some of its programs, such as the Mediation, Conflict Resolution and Restorative Practices Initiative and CatalystNU: Conversations that Transform.
“Many people came together to create the vision for OCE, and I am excited about its potential,” Manno said. “The whole notion of community enrichment implies that we will strive to be better together. And this vision will continue to evolve over time.”
