Amanda Walsh stepped down Jan. 17 as Title IX program officer to take on a new career in the legal field, wrote President Christina Paxson P’19 in a community-wide email Wednesday. During the transition, Liza Cariaga-Lo, vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion, will serve as the interim officer.
Since arriving at Brown in 2015, Walsh oversaw the resolution of alleged violations of Brown’s policies regarding Title IX. She also organized education and training on sexual assault, gender-based harassment and discrimination. Walsh was essential in implementing the changes to the University’s sexual assault policies that were suggested by the Task Force on Sexual Assault in her first year.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits gender-based discrimination, including sexual assault, in public and private schools receiving federal funding. The Title IX office at Brown reports directly to the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, which oversees compliance with federal, state and local laws related to discrimination and harassment. Cariaga-Lo was chosen for the interim position because she already leads the OIDI, wrote Brian Clark, director of news and editorial development, in an email to The Herald.
“I shall certainly do my best to effectively fulfill my roles and responsibilities as the interim Title IX program officer, even as I will continue to work hard to meet my other responsibilities as the (vice president),” Cariaga-Lo wrote in an email to The Herald.
Marc Peters, health educator at Health Services, has been appointed as the interim deputy Title IX coordinator for undergraduate students. Peters will serve as a point of contact and provide students with information about violation reporting options and on and off campus resources. Peters co-coordinated the Sexual Assault Peer Education program from 2014 to 2016 — an experience he believes will be valuable as deputy coordinator. “While the interim role is different in scope, I hope that my new work will be aided by the trust I’ve built with students across campus during my time at Brown,” Peters wrote in an email to The Herald.
Claire Hall, principal of Universal Education Compliance and Training Compliance Solutions, has been hired as an outside consultant to provide expertise as the Title IX office continues to resolve complaints during the transition. Hall has previously conducted external investigations for Brown and has also worked with schools to create Title IX grievance procedures for students to report harassment and discrimination.
Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning and policy and former co-chair of the sexual assault task force that established the University’s policy, will lead an immediate search for the next Title IX program officer. Carey will also provide oversight to the Title IX office during the transition.
