Diane Forbes Berthoud

Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, MA, is the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) first chief equity, diversity, and inclusion officer and vice president (CEDIO/VP), assuming the role July 1, 2021.

As CEDIO/VP, she reports directly to UMB’s president and works to steward the University’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), catalyze the institutional change necessary for deepening and strengthening that commitment, and design and operationalize a transparent accountability framework to measure and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of UMB’s EDI initiatives at every level of the institution. She also works closely with the provost and other senior University officials on the development of a strategic action plan that will leverage current efforts and create a sustainable infrastructure that affects every aspect and every level of UMB.

Before joining UMB, Forbes Berthoud held several key positions for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) from 2011 to 2021, most recently associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion. In that role, she led the management of the university’s first Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence, directed central aspects of an accountability process involving senior leadership, provided leadership in developing accountability data dashboards to track key metrics, and oversaw the creation of an equity, diversity, and inclusion best practices resource and diversity strategic planning toolkit to guide the planning and implementation processes.

Before that, Forbes Berthoud oversaw academic planning, strategic planning, and implementation as an academic director and lecturer of UCSD’s 4,000-student Sixth College. She served on the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women, developed and enhanced the global education program, and was honored with a UCSD diversity award for outstanding efforts in advancing the school’s academic and institutional EDI goals.

Forbes Berthoud also was a founding faculty member of the RISE San Diego Urban Leadership Fellows Program, a partnership with the University of San Diego to advance leadership and workforce development and civic engagement, and she was recognized as a 2020 San Diego Woman of Distinction by San Diego Woman Magazine for her contributions to higher education, the community, and society.

Forbes Berthoud has considerable history in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region, serving as an affiliate faculty at George Washington University; visiting professor at George Mason University; lecturer and doctoral fellow at Howard University; senior fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park; and associate professor and chair in the Department of Communication at Trinity Washington University. She has also served as an organization development consultant with Montgomery County (Md.) Government, the American Psychological Association, and Ombudsperson at the U.S. Capitol.

Forbes Berthoud earned PhD and MA degrees in Organizational Communication and Social Psychology from Howard University, and a BA in Communication and a certificate in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from Barry University. She holds a management certificate from the University of California, a certificate in mediation from the National Center for Conflict Resolution, and is a graduate of the UC-Coro Systemwide Leadership Program.