UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry welcomed Brice Yates as the inaugural chief diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, officer Monday.

As chief, Yates will create DEI initiatives for members of the college at all levels, including faculty, staff and students, according to a campus press release. Among his first steps will be working with Anne Baranger, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for the College of Chemistry, to develop a five-year strategic plan for initiatives to increase DEI efforts within the college.

“Within STEM fields, underrepresented minority student numbers are often lower,” Yates said in an email. “It’s important that we focus on initiatives that highlight diversity, equity and inclusion for underrepresented minority students in order to increase recruitment, retention and graduation rates.”

Throughout his more than a decade-long career in higher education, Yates said he focused on pushing DEI initiatives forward, with the intention of creating opportunities for underrepresented students and those from an array of different backgrounds and cultures.

According to Yates, DEI initiatives work in tandem with each other as it is only through creating inclusive environments that the intersectionalities of historically underrepresented populations are both recognized and celebrated through equitable access.

“We have a public mission to serve everyone in California, and to do so we must be equitable and diverse, as well as the best at research, teaching and public service,” Baranger said. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are important because we need to hear all voices and have the most creative ideas to really address problems across the country.”

Baranger added that Yates has already started working with the college’s Graduate Diversity Program, which was created after the department received one of nine grants from the campus Graduate Diversity Pilot Program in October.

Yates also plans to meet with college faculty, students and staff representatives to hear their needs and perspectives for promoting DEI efforts. These meetings will initially come in a virtual form as “coffee hours,” where Yates will personally meet with the College of Chemistry community, according to the press release.

“I have long been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and recognize the barriers faced by marginalized individuals,” Yates said in the email. “I look forward to the opportunity of leading the charge and assisting the College of Chemistry in achieving its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.”