About

Vice President Belinda Higgs Hyppolite, Ed. D. , joined the Office of Diversity, Equity, and inclusion in January 2020 with more than two decades of experience in higher education and several certifications related to the implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies in higher education.  

She completed her undergraduate work at Southwest Missouri State University and earned a master’s degree in counseling education and one in human resources from Western Illinois University. She earned a doctoral degree in education from Concordia University with a specialization in professional leadership, inquiry, and transformation. Throughout her career, she published extensively on diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

As the assistant vice president at Health Sciences Center, in Oklahoma City, Carrie McClain partners with many key players to increase diversity and inclusion in the university community. In her role, she collaborates with the Student Service Offices, the Student Affairs Office, the Office of Human Resources both in the Health Sciences Center and in the Norman campus. She also provides collaborative leadership to the OUHSC academic deans.   

Carrie received two degrees from the University of Oklahoma: a bacherlor of arts and a master’s degree in human relations with a focus in counseling. She is also licensed as a professional counselor. In addition to her administrative appointment, she holds an academic appointment as an adjunct professor in the OU Department of Human Relations. Finally, she serves on the board of directors for Infinite Possibilities.

As a program director, Teara Flagg Lander engages with faculty, staff and students to create a more inclusive environment for all members of the OU community. She received a bachelor of arts with a major in political science from the University of Central Oklahoma and a master of education with a focus on higher education administration from the University of Oklahoma. She earned a doctoral degree in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education from Kansas State University. Additionally, she holds two graduate certificates in qualitative research methods and social justice education also from Kansas State University.

She is passionate about increasing cultural awareness and providing educational access to people who want to continue their education. In her leisure time, she enjoys being with her family, traveling, and reading. 

As the Director for the OU-Tulsa campus, Jasmine Willis-Wallace oversees the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for the campus. In nearly every position she has held, she has worked very hard to incorporate the work of DE&I  whether that has been through chairing a committee, serving as an officer of a DE&I affiliated organization, or presenting at different conferences. 

She received a bachelor of science with a major in business administration from Miami University of Ohio and a master of science with emphasis on college student development and counseling from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.  She also earned a doctoral degree in education with a focus in higher education administration from Northeastern University.  Jasmine moved to Oklahoma in January of 2016 and enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, and watching a good television show or movie. 

Warren Queton is known by his Kiowa name “Phaw Ah”, which is interpreted as “the moon is coming”.  His tribal affiliations include the Cherokee, Kiowa, and Seminole nations. He serves as a program director and the tribal liaison. He received a bachelors of arts in Native American studies and a master of arts in applied linguistic anthropology.  During his student career, he served as the president of the OU American Indian Student Association. He is also a founding member of the Sigma Nu Alpha Gamma Native Fraternity.

Warren is proud to call Norman and the University of Oklahoma his home and enjoys working to enrich the university experience. He also serves as a captain in the Oklahoma Army National Guard and is a member of the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society.

As a program director, Monique Ramirez Lemus oversees student diversity initiatives to include the First Year Diversity Experience. In her 15 years of experience in higher education, she has worked collaboratively with campus partners to create an inclusive and high-quality experience for students, faculty, and staff.

She holds two bachelor’s degrees in classics and English, and a master’s degree in education with emphasis on postsecondary administration and student affairs from the University of Southern California. Monique is originally from Southern California and moved to Oklahoma in the fall of 2017.  She enjoys spending time with her family, watching college football, especially the USC Trojans, and traveling to new places. 

Toni Pace serves as the director of finance and human resources. She received her bachelor’s degree from East Central University. With 20 years of experience serving young people, Toni worked in both profit and nonprofit organizations as a co-developer of a wellness camp that incorporated activities promoting physical, mental, cultural and spiritual health for ages 9-13. For youth ages 14-21 in foster care or aged out of foster care, she developed a program to enhance self-esteeem and to promote education and other life skills. For her work with youth, she was named Executive Director of the Year for the State of Oklahoma National Boys & Girls Club of America. 

In her spare time, she enjoys camping, OU sports, and spending time with family.

Pam was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and came to Oklahoma to attend Hillsdale college. Although she is not an “Okie” by birth, she is an avid Sooner fan.

At OU, she began working at the Registration Office and later moved to the National Scholars Programs as the administrative assistant and scholarship liaison, where she stayed until 2015. As the executive assistant to the vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office.

Pam enjoys attending OU football games and loves watching the band on the field. She also enjoys eating on Campus Corner. She is actively involved in her church and small group, BSF, RFKC, IF Conference. In the OU community, she is a volunteer for the Food Pantry.

In 2019, Antonio joined the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a program coordinator for the First Year Diversity Experience program. Recently, he has collaborated with the tribal liaison officer to develop an interactive educational game before becoming the webmaster for the DEI website and the coordinator for social media. Antonio earned a bachelor of arts in Spanish literature and culture from the University of Central Oklahoma and is currently pursuing a master degree in cross-cultural communication at the University of Oklahoma. He loves video games, chess, shogi, go, and any sort of puzzle that comes his way. 

As the program coordinator at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Danielle helps plan and execute training sessions, educational programs, and meetings for staff, faculty, and students. She also manages all aspects of the Aspiring Health Professions Summer Academy, a program that introduces 9th to 12th grade students to various healthcare practices via interactions with faculty and staff in all seven OUHSC colleges. In 2015, Danielle earned a bachelor of science in human development and family science with a focus in child and family services from Oklahoma State University. Since then, she has continued nurturing the next generation of learners by volunteering with foster children and inner city youth. To sharpen her coordination skills, Danielle enjoys working as a wedding planner. 

In her role as a program coordinator, Jackie advances the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mission via programming and curriculum development. She helps in organizing events and assists in preparing material for workshops, training and informational sessions. Jackie received a bachelor’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. As an undergraduate student, she was involved in several organizations and was part of the Dean’s and President’s Honor Roll. She now pursues a master degree in human relations with emphasis in human resources. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys reading, hanging out with family, and watching YouTube.

Mario serves as the Marketing Graduate Assistant. His role is to assist with the office’s marketing efforts and connection with the OU community. He obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication from the University of Oklahoma in the spring of 2020. Mario is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Architecture at OU. In his free time, Mario enjoys being part of the OU Coed Cheerleading team, spending time with family, watching movies, hiking, and cooking.

As the research associate, Paola integrates experience in organizational change with education in management and communication to mold data into meaningful reports and to distill research into practical applications and training. Her goal is to develop an inclusive workplace where diversity is a necessary condition to understand one’s identity and to innovate. More recently, her doctoral coursework in organizational communication enriched her repertoire of qualitative and quantitative methods of investigation, which she started to explore in her MPA coursework.

Vivian is an Admissions Counselor for the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. She primarily serves the Tulsa area assisting students in their pursuit of higher education as well as creating a strategy for promoting a sense of accessibility for underrepresented students. Vivian graduated for OU in 2018 with a degree in Public and Non-Profit Administration with a minor in Social Justice. She is also nearing the completion of a Master's degree in Human Relations and Workforce Diversity. Her faith is a large part of her life. She also enjoys painting, speaking, and finding hidden restaurant gems in Tulsa!