Commission on Diversity

Sen. Melinda Aquino (she/hers) is the Associate Dean of Multicultural Affairs in Undergraduate Student Life, Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Working at Columbia University since 2005, she brings a long history of advocacy and community building; deep understanding of campus culture and dynamics; collaborative relationships across the University; and dedication to equity, access, and inclusion. Her 25+ year career in higher education has centered educational access and equity, intergroup dialogue and facilitation training, climate assessment and advocacy, conflict resolution, and restorative justice. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Florida, M.A. in English Literature from the University of Miami (Florida), M.A. in Cinema Studies from New York University, and a M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University. She is the proud mother of four young children, who are often seen attending student cultural events around campus with her.

Sen. Liane Bdair is a student at Columbia College, studying economics and political science on a pre-law track. She serves on the executive board of Turath, the Arab Students Association, where she helps foster community and cultural pride among Arab-identifying students. Additionally, Liane’s Palestinian- American Background makes her deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and student advocacy. As a University Senator, Liane is focused on promoting shared governance, increasing transparency from the administration, and ensuring that student perspectives are meaningfully included in decision-making processes. With a new perspective and a dedication to building bridges between administration and student groups, she is passionate about amplifying voices that are often overlooked in university policy and governance conversations.

Sen. Elizabeth Adeoye (she/her) is a Columbia College student majoring in political science, with a minor in sociology and a special concentration in business management. She previously served on the Columbia College Student Council as Pre-professional Representative and currently sits on the boards of several cultural and pre-professional organizations, including the African Students Association. She is also a Resident Adviser, supporting undergraduate students throughout their time in University housing. Coming from a Nigerian-American background, Elizabeth advocates for increased support and resources for FLI students, international students, and students of color. She also dances on two teams, Raw Elementz and the Columbia University Dance Team, remaining active in Columbia’s cultural life.
 

As a University Senator, Elizabeth plans to push for clearer communication between students and administration, more equitable resource distribution, and stronger representation for underrepresented communities in university policy. She brings to the role a strong track record of leadership, cross-campus collaboration, and a deep investment in equity and inclusion at Columbia.

The Rev. Dr. Andrea C. White is Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. She has served as Executive Director of the Society for the Study of Black Religion and chair of the Black Theology Unit for the American Academy of Religion. Her research specializes in womanist theology and critical theory, philosophy of religion and phenomenology.

Her forthcoming volume is The Scandal of Flesh: Black Women’s Bodies, God, and Politics. She is also the author of The Back of God: A Theology of Otherness in Karl Barth and Paul Ricoeur, and editor of several future volumes including, Political Theology on Edge with Catherine Keller and Clayton Crocket, and The State of Black Theology.

She serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, the Wabash Center Journal on Teaching, the Black Theology Papers Project, and she is editor of the web forum Love, Struggle Resist, a critical, social and political forum for the progressive multireligious community.

Dr. White is a recipient of both the Lilly Theological Research Faculty Fellowship from The Association of Theological Schools and The Louisville Institute Book Grant for Minority Scholars.

She has delivered lectures in Brazil, Denmark, India, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and across the United States. She sits on the advisory boards for the Karl Barth Society of North America and Logia at the Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. She has served as a member of the Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession and with the Theology and Religious Reflection steering committee for the American Academy of Religion. She also serves on the Committee on Teaching about the United Nations and is a founding member of The Carter Center’s Scholars in Action created to address gender violence against women and girls.

Dr. White is a recipient of Emory University’s 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award.

Prior to her appointment at Union, she served on the faculty at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in theology from The University of Chicago Divinity School, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School with a concentration in philosophy of religion, and a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College with honors in philosophy. She is also an ordained American Baptist minister and served as a church pastor, hospice chaplain, and chaplain for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

A Lecturer at Columbia, Sen. Adela J. Gondek first taught American political theory and the Core Curriculum in the Department of Political Science, and then began teaching ethics at SIPA, SPS, and E3B. She acquired her PhD in the Department of Government at Harvard, with cross-disciplinary study in the law and divinity schools and the Kennedy School of Government.  She has also served as a legislative analyst in the Massachusetts State Senate, with investigative specialization in consumer product safety, prison reform and model judicial practice.  Dr. Gondek currently focuses on environmental, sustainability, and public ethics in the Sustainable Development Program of the Arts and Sciences, and the Master of Arts in Climate and Society Program at the Climate School.  Most recently, she has written a chapter titled, The City Meets Practical Ethics, published in a book titled, Urban Sustainable Development (2024).  She has been made a member of the Women's International Forum (WIF), which works in partnership with the United Nations.  Under this aegis, she has presented a talk titled, A New Ethics, at the United Nations (November, 2025).  She has also presented a talk in the American Community School in Athens, Greece (April, 2026) on Education, Leadership and Ethics.