Turan Mullins has been named senior adviser to the president for access and opportunity at Maryville University. His duties began on June 1.

Mullins has been an instrumental member of the Maryville community for over a decade. He has served as assistant dean of students/diversity and inclusion since 2016. He previously served as director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and assistant director of multicultural programs, as well as assistant director for enrollment at Maryville.

“I am honored to provide vision and leadership to further integrate inclusion into the work of Maryville University,” Mullins said. “By creating this new role, the University is challenging itself to be more equitable, examining how students access their education and what opportunities they are able to gain from that. The foundation has been laid, and I look forward to continuing to make diversity, equity and inclusion a top priority across campus.”

In his most recent position, Mullins was responsible for supporting the University’s strategic plan to build a more diverse and inclusive campus community. He led efforts to increase and retain the number of first-generation college students, students of color and students from underrepresented groups attending Maryville. Mullins also directed initiatives designed to recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff members.

Under his leadership, Maryville University received the prestigious 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

In his new role, Mullins will provide thought leadership to promote a culture of inclusion where individuals from various social identities are able to thrive and be engaged. He will report directly to the President and advise all Maryville senior leaders, including collecting and analyzing data to benchmark and promote accountability for diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“My ultimate goal is to help ensure that every student who comes to Maryville is able to graduate, and have a great college experience,” Mullins said. “The true meaning of access and opportunity is to provide the necessary support to empower all students to achieve their goals and become engaged, successful members of their professional and societal communities after they leave Maryville.”

Mullins earned his bachelor’s in corporate communications from Southeast Missouri State and his master’s in strategic communication and leadership from Maryville University. An established diversity leader both on and off campus, Mullins has been recognized for his work by a variety of organizations including being named a 2018 Young Leader by the St. Louis American Foundation.

Ashley Storman, EdD, has moved into the role of director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Storman has served as program coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion since 2017. In that role, she oversaw the Multicultural Scholars Program and developed and implemented various student programs.

She recently completed Maryville’s Doctor of Education — Higher Education Leadership program. Her research focused on African American women leaders in student affairs, which led to the creation of a roadmap for rising African American women leaders just beginning their careers in the field.

As director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Storman plans to implement an extended orientation program for first-generation college students, students of color and students from underrepresented groups. The program will offer sessions on topics such as financial aid, time management and study skills, and ensure a successful transition to college academics and campus life.

She also plans to incorporate aspects of current events and anti-racism into current programming and events. This includes a recent Crucial Conversation, held via Zoom, that brought together Maryville students to discuss and unpack the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who died in police custody.

“I want to provide a brave space for our community to have nonviolent dialogue so that they can learn to effectively and productively express ideas around social justice,” she said. “It’s very rewarding to work with students with different identities and from different walks of life, and then see them go out into the real world and apply what they’ve learned because of Maryville.”