Wayne State University School of Medicine Director of Diversity and Inclusion De’Andrea Matthews, D.Th., was selected by the Global Forum for Education and Learning to receive its Top 100 Leaders in Education Award.
The award will be presented at the Global Forum for Education and Learning annual conference in Las Vegas Dec. 8-10. The event is a three-day knowledge-based conference where minds from the education sector come together on a common platform to lead, regulate, empower and improve the means of education transmittal GFEL explores innovations in the realm of education to build the practices of tomorrow.
Dr. Matthews is “excited to be acknowledged for the work that is done with the most vulnerable population: first-generation, low-income students,” she said, setting out to achieve “equal opportunity and access for students, faculty and staff from underrepresented backgrounds.”
Among her duties, Dr. Matthews oversees the School of Medicine’s Premedical Post Baccalaureate Program for first-generation college graduates from a low-socioeconomic background. The program recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The 450 initial nominees were judged by an awards committee based on overall reach, industry impact, spirit of innovation, future readiness and market demand. Dr. Matthews received an aggregate score of 89.8%, with the highest aggregate score for any nominee totaling 90.5%.
She is an author, international speaker, founder and chief executive officer of Claire Aldin Publications, a hybrid publishing company, and president of Virginia Park Community Investment Associates Inc., a local nonprofit organization.
Dr. Matthews has degrees in African American Studies and Theology, and a doctorate in Religious Education. She is an ex-officio member of the School of Medicine’s Admissions Committee and Diversity Task Force, a member of the School of Medicine Diversity Advisory Council since 2015, and the WSU College 2 Career Pipeline Steering Committee and National Post Baccalaureate Program Collaborative since 2012.
A good leader, she added, “is one who communicates with clarity, demonstrates commitment to their team specifically and the institution in general while collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to achieve the ultimate goal.”