AHS Faculty Member Gonzalez Wins Equity for Women Award

Maru Gonzalez, along with colleagues Becca Zuvich and Chris Genwright from CALS Human Resources, were awarded the Group Recipient Award as part of the Equity for Women Awards celebration. These awards annually recognize faculty, staff and students for their outstanding dedication to establishing equity for women at NC State University. Maru, Becca and Chris created a candidate evaluation tool to allow for the equitable comparison of candidates for staff and faculty positions. 

Ben Chapman, AHS Department Head, stated in his nomination letter that “the work of advancing women’s equity is not a box to be checked; it requires collaboration, a sustained commitment, and the perseverance to advocate for systemic change. Dr. Maru Gonzalez, Rebecca Zuvich, and Chris Genwright collaborated to develop The Candidate Evaluation Tool and Search Committee Expectations with the purpose of improving assessment and mitigating bias in the CALS hiring process, thereby advancing women’s equity for current and future NC State employees.  They were persistent and successful in their efforts to obtain buy-in from CALS directors and department heads.

This team’s commitment and perseverance have paid off, as the result of their work has already been far reaching. To date, the Candidate Evaluation Tool has been formally adopted at the college level for use across twelve departments. Because the rubric and other elements of the Tool can be adapted based on job description, it has the potential to be used by other departments, colleges, and centers across the university. Indeed, the impact of this team’s work will be felt for years to come.”

Gonzalez states “This award underscores the value of collaboration and sustained commitment, both of which are essential to advancing institutional equity. I’m grateful to be part of a department, a college, and a university that supports and encourages these efforts.” If you would like to watch the rebroadcast of the Sisterhood Celebration event, please view it at: go.ncsu.edu/sisterhood-live