Dr. Jeffrey Ash | Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, and Assistant Professor | UMB Donor for 2 years

“I have witnessed the value of both small and large donations and how it all can contribute to the good of our school. While not independently wealthy, I know that my contribution matters to someone or something at UMB and the School of Nursing.”

Dr. Jeffrey Ash knows the value of diversity. As the School of Nursing’s first-ever associate dean for diversity and inclusion, and as an assistant professor, he’s seen firsthand the importance and power of collaboration among faculty, staff, and students both within the school and across the UMB campus. Dr. Ash grew up in Millington, Md., a small town on the Eastern Shore, and has been part of the University System of Maryland for two decades — he started in 1998 as a retirement counselor at College Park, moved to UMBC in 2011 as a full-time faculty member, and joined the School of Nursing at UMB in 2016.

Being the inaugural associate dean for diversity and inclusion, he says, has in itself been a benefit and a challenge — which he enjoys. “It was refreshing that I was not coming into a situation where I didn’t have to redo or continue doing what someone else had done for years,” he says. “It allowed an opportunity to try some new ideas and create change with nowhere to go but up.”

His work on diversity and inclusion is itself diverse: No two days are the same. “I enjoy that my work involves all employees at all levels, including faculty, staff, and students. While I’m primarily an administrator, it allows me some classroom lecturing/teaching time.”

Dr. Ash’s day-to-day work demonstrates the inherent opportunities of a diverse and inclusive community. He particularly enjoys being involved in committee work: “The collaborative nature of diversity committees and how ideas come together allows and generates incredible synergy and problem-solving at a high level.”

His experience on the board of trustees at a university in Virginia, along with the nature of his work at UMB, has taught him the central importance of philanthropy, development, and endowments to any institute of higher learning. This guiding principle has led him to give back to UMB.

“I have witnessed the value of both small and large donations and how it all can contribute to the good of our school,” he says. “While not independently wealthy, I know that my contribution matters to someone or something at UMB and the School of Nursing.”