Buckhannon, WV – The President of West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) announced today that Dedriell Taylor, Ed.D., will serve as the College’s first-ever Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Taylor, who has a 15-year tenure in higher education, will lead Wesleyan’s strategic efforts to expand its diversity, equity and inclusion footprint on campus.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Taylor joining our team at Wesleyan,” said WVWC President Joel Thierstein, J.D., Ph.D. “She brings a powerful combination of wisdom, strength, and grace that will benefit not only our students, but our entire campus community.”

Taylor brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education, state government and the nonprofit sector. Most recently, she served as the Director of Philanthropy for the West Virginia’s Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council and as an Adjunct Professor of Business at Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia. She has served in a host of capacities at Bluefield State College, West Virginia State University and the University of Charleston. She also served as a Clinical Applications Specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services for the State of West Virginia. Now, in her new role, she will serve as both an advocate and catalyst for diversity, equity and inclusion across the Wesleyan campus.

“I look forward to working with the Wesleyan community – both on-campus and beyond – to realize a future where Wesleyan sets the standard for diversity, equity and inclusion in institutions of higher education,” Taylor said.

A Beckley, West Virginia native, Taylor earned her Doctor of Education and Master of Science in Management from Marshall University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from West Virginia University.

West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts college in Buckhannon, West Virginia.