Deborah L. Plummer

Dr. Deborah Plummer is a nationally recognized psychologist and diversity management thought leader who currently serves as Chief Diversity Officer at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care. She is the author of Some of My Friends Are...The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships (Beacon Press), editor of the Handbook of Diversity Management (Rowman and Littlefield) and author of Advancing Inclusion: A Guide for Effective Diversity Council and Employee Resource Group Membership (Half Dozen Publications), and award-winning Racing Across the Lines: Changing Race Relations through Friendships (Pilgrim Press). She has written for Diversity Executive, Boston Globe Magazine, authored several book chapters and published numerous journal articles to the professional community on cross-racial friendships, racial identity development, and managing diverse work environments. As a researcher, she is the lead creator in the design and development of the Diversity Engagement Survey, a tool for measuring diversity and inclusion in organizations. As a psychologist and educator, she is most passionate about creating inclusive organizations and building peaceful communities. She is a proud board member of GrubStreet, one of the nation's leading writing centers located in Boston, and cherishes her work with the New England Advisory Board of Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that empowers teachers and students to think critically about history and to understand the impact of their choices. When delivering key-note addresses, talks, presentations, and workshops, Deborah’s engaging, enthusiastic, and entertaining style brings home an instructive message without sacrificing substance. Her work has been featured in several media outlets such as Boston Globe, New England Psychologist, Diversity Inc., Smart Business, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and she served for many years as an expert commentator for WEWS Cleveland News Channel 5.