Update on Title IX Office

The following announcement was e-mailed to faculty and staff from the Office of the Provost on Jan. 22 on behalf of Kami Chavis, associate provost for academic initiatives, associate vice president and professor of law:

Good morning, Wake Forest faculty and staff,

Late in 2019, Wake Forest announced that Tanya Jachimiak, Director of the Title IX Office/Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator, had agreed to become Associate Vice President for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance at Michigan State University. Tanya has been a respected and cherished member of our campus community for over six years; her professionalism, integrity, and commitment to fairness are the hallmarks of her legacy.  She has played a central role in the university’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault, and it is vital that we hire a knowledgeable and equity-minded leader to assume these responsibilities. The university has engaged Isaacson, Miller to assist with this important search.

Additionally, the following individuals have agreed to serve on the search committee:

• Kami Chavis, Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives/Associate Vice President, and Professor of Law (Committee Chair)
• Jarrod Atchison, Associate Professor of Communication
• Carmen Canales, Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
• Tracey Coan, Associate Professor of Legal Writing, Analysis and Research
• Amanda Horton, Sr. Associate Director, Integrative Student Services, Center of Excellence at Wake Forest University School of Business
• Adam Goldstein, Dean of Students and Associate Vice President
• Todd Hairston, Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Compliance & AdministrationDina Marty, Deputy General Counsel at Wake Forest University and Senior Counsel at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
• JT Moser, Director of Enterprise Risk and Corporate Investigations at Wake Forest Baptist Health
• Steph Trilling, Director of the Women’s Center
• Marcia Wofford, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, School of Medicine

Although we have a diverse and representative committee, there are other campus constituents whose perspectives will be important to consider. In order to ensure that various university stakeholders may share their views of what skills and qualities are most important in the next Director of the Title IX Office, we will invite the Wake Forest community to participate in the search process through several listening sessions.

During this interim period, various leaders from across campus—including the Office of the Provost, Campus Life, and the Office of Legal Counsel, among others—will continue to work collaboratively to both prevent sexual assault and respond to the related needs of our community.

I am pleased to announce that Tonya Deem, J.D., will serve as the Interim Director of the Title IX Office/Title IX Coordinator/Section 504. Ms. Deem received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University (BA 1993) and her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (JD 1996). She was a litigation partner at Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton, LP before stepping away from the active practice of law in 2013. Ms. Deem has significant trial, appellate and arbitration experience, representing both established companies and emerging companies in a broad range of disputes, including patent litigation, complex business disputes, securities litigation, ERISA disputes and multi-district litigation. Within the community, she has held several leadership roles. Ms. Deem currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Summit School, where she is a member of the executive committee. Ms. Deem previously chaired the Board of Directors of RiverRun International Film Festival. Finally, she is a member of The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem, a past member of the Executive Committee of the Board and a current member of the Advisory Board.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to provide updates on the status of the search and as appropriate, we will post updates and the dates for the listening sessions for faculty, staff, and students on the Provost Office and Campus Life websites.

Kami Chavis
Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives/Associate Vice President/Professor of Law