Since 1998, Paulette Granberry Russell has served Michigan State University as the senior advisor to the president for diversity and as the director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, formerly the Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance, and Monitoring. As the senior advisor to the president for diversity, Granberry Russell’s responsibilities include facilitating and monitoring effective strategies to advance a diverse and inclusive university. She plays a vital leadership role on all campus inclusion and intercultural support committees. As director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, Granberry Russell leads efforts in the office’s three functional areas: education and development, community outreach, and research and assessment.
A CIC-Academic Leadership Fellow (2000-2001), Granberry Russell is a sought-after presenter concerning inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education. Notably, in September 2002, she was invited to the Durban Institute of Technology in South Africa to present workshops on affirmative action and diversity programming for post-apartheid merged higher education institutions. In January 2005, she served as a panelist on affirmative action and diversity initiatives in U.S. higher education in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Granberry Russell is a graduate of Michigan State University and earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is licensed as an attorney by the state of Michigan.