Brenda J. Allen

Dr. Brenda J. Allen is the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. She also is a Professor of Communication. Her scholarship focuses on organizational communication and diversity.

Dr. Allen was recruited from Howard University to the University of Colorado Boulder in 1989 as an Assistant Professor. Since then, she has been promoted to Professor, and she has served as a Department Chair and Associate Dean.

She assumed her recent role as Chief Diversity Officer in August of 2012. Among her numerous publications is a groundbreaking book entitled Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity. She presents keynote speeches and conducts workshops on topics such as inclusion in the workplace, strategic planning, unconscious bias, and diversity hiring practices.

Dr. Allen has received numerous recognitions, including: the first Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement for Commitment to Diversity at CU Denver; a Women in Leadership and Management Award (named in honor of Wilma J. Webb, former legislator and Denver's first African-American first lady); the first Annual Ally of the Year Award from the GLBT Alliance at CU Boulder; and, the Elizabeth Gee Award from the University of Colorado System, which honors an outstanding faculty member for efforts to advance women in academia, interdisciplinary scholarly contributions, and distinguished teaching.