Miller to join SUNY as senior vice chancellor and chief of staff

Teresa Miller, UB’s vice provost for inclusive excellence and a member of the law faculty since 1995, has been named senior vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and chief of staff to SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson.

The appointment, approved today by the SUNY Board of Trustees, takes effect Jan. 29.

In her new role at SUNY, Miller will assist Johnson with leadership and direction of strategic initiatives. She will be responsible for overseeing and managing the Office of the Chancellor and serve as Johnson’s liaison with system administration’s executive team and campus leaders.

Miller also will coordinate and collaborate with staff at each campus, as well as with affiliated SUNY entities, government agencies, college councils and boards of trustees, professional associations and business partners.

In announcing Miller’s new SUNY post in an email to the campus community, Provost Charles F. Zukoski admitted he had “mixed emotions.”

Since Miller’s appointment as UB’s inaugural vice provost for equity and inclusion in 2014, she has built the newly named Office of Inclusive Excellence, “leveraging her deep understanding of the historical complexity of cultural issues to strengthen the culture of equity and inclusion throughout the university,” Zukoski wrote.

“Teri has provided important leadership within UB and SUNY, serving as a member of the President’s cabinet and ensuring that policies and practices lead to a more diverse and inclusive campus community and system.”

Zukoski noted that Miller led the creation of UB’s first strategic diversity and inclusion plan, which “envisions integrating inclusive excellence in all aspects of university operations, fostering a sense of shared responsibility, coordinating UB’s many diversity and inclusion-related efforts, and better monitoring progress to goals.”

“The solid foundation and long-range vision this plan provides will guide UB’s equity, inclusion and diversity efforts for years to come,” he said.

Among Miller’s other accomplishments cited by Zukoski were her development of the Difficult Conversations (DIFCON) series designed to bring faculty, staff and students together for constructive conversations about provocative issues in order to gain better understanding of the issues and different points of view, and her championing of the diversity learning requirement in the UB Curriculum.

Zukoski said he would initiate a search for Miller’s replacement as vice provost for inclusive excellence in the coming weeks.