December 14, 2023
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Last month, I shared with you the bittersweet news that Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nsombi B. Ricketts will be leaving Pratt for a new position, and her last day at the Institute will be January 4, 2024. I have asked Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jazmin A. Peralta to serve as interim vice president during an external review with a subsequent international search.
With nearly two decades of experience, Jazmin is a dedicated transformative justice educator advocating for marginalized communities within higher education institutions. Joining Pratt in 2016, she established and has led the Center for Equity and Inclusion, introducing impactful initiatives such as the New Student Orientation DEI Community Standards sessions and the Community Dialogue series. Jazmin also curated and facilitated the DEI Allies Training Certificate Program and the Anti-Racism Workshop. Her contributions include advancing the development of the institutional DEI Strategic Plan, chairing the Welcoming Environment Committee within the Pratt DEI Council, and leading the steering committee for the creation of the Staff Council. She was instrumental in creating and implementing Pratt’s Living Land Acknowledgement and establishing the Native/Indigenous Working Group. Currently a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University, Jazmin’s research focuses on the intersection of institutional policies and practices and how they affect the educational journeys of criminalized and systems-impacted students, specifically investigating the broader context of higher education institutions as an extension of the criminal legal system.
Jazmin is highly engaged and widely respected across campus by both colleagues and students. I deeply appreciate that she has graciously accepted to serve as interim vice president. Given her close collaboration with Nsombi over the years, we can anticipate a seamless transition of Nsombi’s DEI responsibilities to Jazmin in the coming weeks.
I hope you will take a moment to join me in supporting Jazmin and the DEI team as they continue to do the important work of creating an inclusive and generously compassionate environment at Pratt.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President