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Monica Smith, the chief diversity officer for the Universities of Wisconsin, resigned on Thursday less than a year after she took the job.
Smith’s role at the Wisconsin public university system began amid controversy that followed her throughout her tenure. She was hired last June, just as Republican state legislators were gearing up for what would prove to be a 6-month standoff over DEI spending across the system that threw institutional budgets into disarray. State assembly speaker Robin Vos cited Smith’s hiring as one factor among many that inspired him to block university funding.
In December, UW system chancellor Jay Rothman struck a controversial deal with Vos to free up the money, in which he agreed to a 3-year freeze on all DEI administrative hires and a cap on DEI staff, in addition to a broad reorganization that placed the system’s DEI offices under student success. Initially, the system board narrowly rejected the deal, but it passed after a recall vote.
It is not clear if Smith’s position would have been redefined or affected by the deal, nor whether the freeze on administrative hires means Smith’s position will remain vacant for the next two years.
A Universities of Wisconsin spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
