Tayo Clyburn is the special assistant to the president for executive projects at the Kettering Foundation. In his role, he is a key contributor in the development, implementation, and management of special projects identified by the president and also provides leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) for the organization.
Clyburn has held leadership roles at Colby College as the dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion and St. Mary’s College of Maryland as the vice president for inclusive diversity and equity. Prior to these positions, Clyburn served as the executive director for mission and strategic partnerships in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) at The Ohio State University, where he promoted DE&I by assessing university diversity practices and data trends and working with senior leaders to advocate for institutional change. Throughout his career, Clyburn’s work has been cross-functional, interfacing with senior leaders, staff, campus, and local community members to strategically integrate inclusive and equitable practices across the staff, student, and faculty experiences.
Clyburn earned his MA and PhD from Ohio State’s Department of English, where his work focused on critical race theory, post racialism, and post-civil rights African American literature, specifically studying the ways in which Black writers portray the impact of colorblind/post-racial discourse on the lives of Black communities.