About DICE at Heinz College

Dareen Basma, Ph.D., LPC (she/her/hers)

Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, Climate and Equity

Cassandra Rios (she/her/hers)

Assistant Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Climate and Equity

Interests: Recruitment & retention of diverse populations to higher education, mental health & well-being, and celebration of unique identities.

Sarah Malone, M.ED. (she/her/hers)

Senior Administrative & Events Coordinator

Interests: Disability education and accessibility, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, inclusive retention policies and understanding intersectionality to cultivate a community that celebrates student differences.

Vedantika Chaudhary (she/her/hers)

Interests: Representation of all communities in cinema, advocating LGBTQIA+ rights and ethical media & journalism.

Jordan M. Fields (she/her/hers)

Interests: Civic and political education, empowering Black students and communities, and combating misinformation targeting Black and Brown communities.

Meriem Fouad (she/her/hers)

Interests: Advocating for DEI practices, making sure that students of all identities feel welcome at Heinz, and celebrating cultural events.

Rupali Kavale (she/her/hers)

Interests: Increasing women representation in STEM fields, tackling gender inequality and promoting inclusivity across all forums.

Grace George Sam (she/her/hers)

Interests: Enhancing the international student experience, making spaces inclusive for those with invisible disabilities, understanding lived experiences of women and leveraging technology at the polity-policy nexus. 

Prasiddha Sudhakar (she/her/hers)

Interests: Intersection of data and DEI, building foundations and understanding around Hinduphobia.

Laila Tasneem Bera (she/her/hers)

Interests: Exploring the Diaspora experience, advocating for Women of Color and celebrating cross-cultural exchange as international students.

Arvind Thever (he/him/his)

Interests: Building a student community, enhancing international student experience, spreading information about DICE across communities.

Chinmay Vivek (he/him/his)

Interests: Enhancing student experience, mental health, using data to solve DEI issues, advocating diversity across teams, celebrating all identities.