Candace Dodson-Reed, Chief of Staff and Executive Director

Administration Building, Room 1010
cdodreed@umbc.edu
410-455-2065

Ms. Dodson-Reed has served as the Executive Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion since its creation in the fall of 2019. She has deep connections to our UMBC community, and currently also serves as the Chief of Staff to the President of UMBC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UMBC and master’s degree in executive leadership from Georgetown University- McDonough School of Business.

Ariana Arnold, Esq., Director

Administration Building, Room 913
arianaarnold@umbc.edu
410-455-2735

Ms. Arnold joined UMBC in January of 2020 after serving as Senior Associate General Counsel at Howard University, where she provided advice, counsel, and representation of the university and hospital in local and federal courts and handled complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Education, and other agencies. She also served the university as the Interim Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. She was previously a partner at Jackson Lewis P.C. in Baltimore and an Assistant United States Attorney, where she received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Excellence in Civil Advocacy in 2007. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1994 and her B.A. in economics from Haverford College, where she minored in Spanish.

Mikhel Kushner, Esq., Title IX Coordinator

Administration Building, Room 914
kushner@umbc.edu
410-455-1250

Mikhel Kushner joined OEI in March, 2020. She previously served as the Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is returning to the UMBC family; she served as the first Director of the Women’s Center from 2000 to 2009. Mikhel has a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Ever Hanna, Esq., Training and Case Manager

Administration Building, Room 908
everhanna@umbc.edu
410-455-1026

B. Ever Hanna joined UMBC and OEI in February, 2020 as the Training and Case Manager. Ever holds a J.D. from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and a B.S. in Film and Television from Boston University, where they minored in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They join us after serving as the Policy Director for End Rape on Campus, a national survivor advocacy organization.

Kathy Ibitoye, Esq., Civil Rights Investigator

Administration Building, Room 909
kathyibitoye@umbc.edu
410-455-1089

Kathy Ibitoye joined UMBC in July 2020. Kathy is responsible for investigating reports regarding complaints of sexual misconduct, sexual assault, harassment, discrimination and retaliation by the UMBC community. Kathy joined UMBC after serving as Litigation Associate at Marks, O’Neill, O’Brien, Doherty, & Kelly P.C., where she investigated and evaluated allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation for the firm’s clients. Prior to that, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Kathy earned her J.D. from University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and her undergraduate from UMBC in Financial Economics in 2015.

Annie Byrd, Executive Administrative Assistant

Administration Building, 10th Floor
anniebyrd@umbc.edu
410-455-3996

Annie Byrd joined OEI in October 2019. Before joining the OEI team, Annie worked as an Executive Administrative Assistant in the Office of Enrollment Management. Annie holds B.S. from UMBC in Emergency Health Services.