Taffye Clayton no longer in diversity and multicultural affairs

After four years as UNC’s associate vice chancellor for diversity and multicultural affairs and chief diversity officer, Taffye Clayton is no longer holding the position. 

“We found out on a Wednesday and she was gone on a Friday,” said junior Aaron Epps, outreach chair for the Black Student Movement. 

Epps, who worked with Clayton through the office of diversity and multicultural affairs’ program Project Uplift, said he and other students were told Clayton would be leaving the University in a meeting with Angel Washington, on-campus coordinator for the office. 

“We weren’t given a reason why. It was really sudden,” Epps said.

Requests for Clayton’s forwarding contact information could not be fulfilled by time of publication. 

Clayton was part of the team of people at UNC that has helped Epps and others be the best students they could be, he said.

“She has purpose, and even as I was coming to these events in high school, I always saw Dr. Clayton,” Epps said.

Felicia Washington, vice chancellor for workforce strategy, equity and engagement, said in a statement on May 20 that Clayton was leaving the University to pursue new opportunities for leadership in higher education. 

“We are grateful for Taffye’s years of service as our chief diversity officer,” Felicia Washington said in the statement.

Graduate Andre Rowe said he worked with Clayton during all four years he was at UNC through Project Uplift. 

“Taffye Clayton was one of those people that I truly knew had students’ interests at heart at all times,” Rowe said.

Rowe said he was sad to see her go, but was happy Clayton would be moving on to new endeavors.

“The only thing that I’ve been told, as an employee of the project of the program, is that she was moving on to do other educational ventures,” Rowe said.

Jim Gregory, UNC spokesperson, said the University will now be taking a holistic look at diversity. 

“Certainly Chancellor Folt will be involved in making sure that it’s exactly how she wants it to be,” Gregory said. 

Epps said Clayton was instrumental in helping the Black Student Movement achieve its goals.

“Knowing Dr. Clayton, she’s probably just going on to change the world somewhere else,” Epps said.