Betty Jeanne Taylor

Dr. Betty Jeanne Taylor (she/her/hers) serves as Assistant Vice President in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at The University of Texas at Austin, where she leads initiatives to develop an inclusive campus climate, enhancing a sense of belonging for students, staff and faculty. In this role, she created the first university-wide Inclusive Classrooms seminar, having led over 1,000 teaching assistants in exploring elements of inclusive course design and processes. She recently led the development of Inclusive Campus Support – a centralized university unit where students, staff and faculty can share their campus experiences and receive peer support.

Dr. Taylor is a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, as an Assistant Professor of Practice, teaching and advising graduate students in the Program in Higher Education, Leadership and Policy. Previous roles at UT Austin have included Director of Greek Life and Education in the Office of the Dean of Students and Lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology, where she co-instructed courses on Intergroup Dialogue and conducted research for a multi-university study. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and received a B.S. in Communication and an M.S. in Higher Education, both from Florida State University.

Dr. Taylor’s research interests focus on campus climate, intersectional identity development, and sense of belonging. Recent publication includes a co-authored chapter in the text A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (2022) and an article in the journal Education and Urban Society (2021). She is a recipient of the President’s Outstanding Service Award and the Texas Parents Association Staff Merit Award from The University of Texas at Austin.