Learn about Dr. Katie Penn's impactful journey in strategic DEI leadership and academia.

Dr. Katherine Penn is a strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion leader with more than 20 years of experience in education. A systems-thinker, Katie is passionate about uncovering and removing the barriers that inhibit effective organizational change management. She is committed to empowering and equipping individuals and teams to create more inclusive and equitable organizations. Katie is a collaborative leader who builds trust through compassionate accountability aimed at growth and learning. A skilled facilitator, she is adept at creating brave spaces for dialogue across differences. A creative problem-solver skilled in data analysis, qualitative research, program design and implementation, and higher education leadership.

Dr. Penn serves as the VP and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Bentley University, where she leads institution-wide efforts to advance the University’s commitment to inclusive excellence. Her portfolio includes the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Office of Equal Opportunity & Institutional Equity. Katie collaborates with campus leaders to identify and implement strategic initiatives, build capacity through professional development, and ensure accountability and compliance efforts for professional and administrative staff, faculty, and students.

Dr. Penn earned her PhD in Leadership and Change at Antioch University. Her research explores the lived experience of workplace inclusion for professional staff members in higher education. The discovery of two pathways to feeling included – Affirmation Pathway and Impact Pathway – provides critical insight into an underdeveloped phenomenon. Katie also earned an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Economics and Finance from Bentley University. Her research interests include inclusive workplace culture and the creation of brave spaces in higher education.

Katie’s passion for organizational change and diversity work stems from learning to navigate the many dualities in her life. Raised in the US Virgin Islands, Katie embraces her Caribbean and American cultural heritage. Identifying as bi-racial, with white Irish and black Afro-Caribbean ancestry, Katie understands the complexities of identity and belonging. The experience of resisting the labels and binaries that are used to categorize others has informed her approach to the development of inclusive learning environments and organizational cultures in her professional life.