Former Spectrum consultant named director of Intercultural Training

A former Spectrum Health consultant who is well-versed in organizational dynamics will join the Division of Inclusion and Equity as the university's director of Intercultural Training.

Dee Ann Sherwood Bosworth will begin her job at Grand Valley on November 11. Most recently she worked as an organizational development consultant for Spectrum's human resources department. Her duties included leading career development services, managing mentorship programs and strategic plans, and conducting evaluations that measure the return on investment of leadership initiatives.

Sherwood Bosworth graduated from Grand Valley in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and then earned two master's degrees (social work and public administration) from Grand Valley. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in social work from Michigan State University.

In her new role, Sherwood Bosworth will provide leadership in developing intercultural programs for faculty and staff members, as well as programs for students. "I'm very excited about the opportunities for enriching the process of learning, through the inclusion of intercultural knowledge," she said.

Jeanne Arnold, vice president for Inclusion and Equity, said: "Dee Ann is a passionate champion for inclusion. She brings a wealth of training and organizational development experience to the team. It's great to be fully staffed just as we're launching our first university-wide Inclusion Implementation Plan."

Sherwood Bosworth said she applied for the position because she "was impressed by Grand Valley taking action and developing a strategic plan to address issues of inclusion and equity, especially in light of Proposal 2 and the significant drop in enrollment for students of color."

Prior to working for Spectrum Health, Sherwood Bosworth developed and implemented an Equal Business Opportunity program for the City of Grand Rapids. Her role was to provide training and education for vendors and city staff on EBO policies. She said the program helped the city meet its goals in several areas including workforce diversity, supplier diversity and its Great Neighborhoods program.