Kareem Watts

Kareem Watts is a Diversity Practitioner with over 14 years of service in higher education. His passion for diversity, equity and inclusion stems from his background as a first-generation, low-income student born and raised in a single parent, working class family in Los Angeles, California. He previously served as the Assistant Director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) at Gustavus Adolphus College. There, Kareem led college-wide diversity and inclusion programming and training for campus stakeholders, and served on the President’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (PCDEI) for the purpose of creating an equitable and anti-racist environment at the institutional level. He also served on the President's Council for Indigenous Relations.

As current President for the Minnesota Chapter of American College Personnel Association (MNACPA), Kareem is looking forward to building strategic networks to empower Minnesota colleagues as we further our DEI work. As a result of his commitment to diversity and equity, he collaborated with the Chief Diversity Officer developing Greenville University’s first Diversity Strategic Plan, and has worked with multiple constituencies developing DEI and student success initiatives such as the Racial Justice Facilitator training program (in partnership with the YWCA Minneapolis), the Minority Male Academy, and additional multicultural programs. Kareem has a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and a Certificate in Advanced Intercultural Management, and is a YWCA Racial Justice Facilitator and a licensed Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator. Kareem is also an inspirational rapper/poet, and 85% vegan foodie.