Recently we sat down with Stanley (“Stan”) Horton, EdD, WPI’s Director, Equal Opportunity & Outreach, and Title IX Coordinator to talk about his experience, his role at the university, and his goals within Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) and Title IX. Horton joined WPI in September of 2022 as Director of Title IX in support of the university’s strategic work to foster an equitable and positive living, learning, teaching, and working environment free from sex- and gender-based discrimination. In September of 2024, Talent & Inclusion brought together the Title IX and non-discrimination functions serving WPI faculty and staff, and Stan’s role was expanded to oversee WPI’s proactive efforts to engage employees in DEIB learning and professional development and community building. Bwann Gwann, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, will collaborate with Stan in this new structure.
Stan, what excites you about the recent expansion of your role?
I’m excited about the learning and development aspect of my new role, which takes a proactive approach compared to my work in Title IX, which has some proactive, preventative aspects, but is largely focused more on compliance and processes. In my first year at WPI, I prioritized advancing Title IX efforts, which led to expanding into equal opportunity, outreach, disability, and accessibility in my second year. Now with this new role, I have the amazing opportunity to work with employees here at WPI across all functions and identities and be more proactive about creating a learning and development strategy that fosters greater employee engagement and a strong and sustained sense of belonging.
What does Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging mean to you personally?
DEIB awareness feels natural to me, shaped by my upbringing in a diverse family. My father is Irish and English, and my mother is Spanish/Puerto Rican. I grew up in upstate New York; my parents divorced when I was six and my mother chose to keep the last name Horton instead of returning to her maiden name Jimenez to avoid the stigma she felt around having a Spanish surname. Although I understand why she made that decision, it saddens me that she felt it was necessary—and that many Latinos still feel this today. While some progress has been made, much remains unchanged, which is why this work is so important to me.
You bring a lot of experience, both personal and professional, to your role. What aspects of your background or identities will help you work towards furthering a sense of belonging and connection here at WPI?
I was born with a physical disability, which is visible and not something I could hide; it’s something I navigate daily along with others' perceptions of it. While this used to be challenging, I’ve learned to embrace it and now encourage people to engage with me about it, rather than seeing me as different. I appreciate genuine curiosity, as I believe open conversations can help others share their own visible or invisible identities.
I also struggled with my LGBTQIA+ identity, an identity I could hide, until I came out at 28. Finding a community of LGBTQIA+ individuals allowed me to feel a sense of belonging and embrace my full self. These experiences taught me the importance of shared identities, creating inclusive spaces and a deep sense of belonging and showed me how to adapt physically, mentally, and emotionally to life's challenges.
In your role, you are responsible for building and delivering innovative practices that align with WPI's five values: respect, community, inclusion, innovation, and achievement. Which of these values resonates with you most in your role and why?
Inclusive excellence and fostering belonging are strategic imperatives for the university, but they’re also just common sense. Our employees spend much of their time here, and if they don’t feel they belong, it affects their well-being and productivity. Just as we encourage students to find their community at WPI, we must do the same for our faculty and staff, ensuring they feel supported in all their identities. If you’re feeling disconnected or isolated, you can visit our office, and together we’ll find the right space of belonging for you. In my work in both DEIB and Title IX, my goal is to create a welcoming environment where the community can access support, information, and an open, unbiased ear.
Could you give us a few examples of efforts or action items related to furthering DEIB goals on campus?
We’re continuing our Fireside Chat series, with the session held on October 30 focusing on the intersection of disability and other identities, where I participated in a panel discussion. Approximately 30 staff and faculty members attended and asked thoughtful questions and the feedback has been positive. In C-Term, we’ll be hosting another chat themed around Afrofuturism, followed by our last session of the year on engaging with the LGBTQIA+ community and fostering a supportive environment.
For faculty and staff, we’ve added new Employee Resource Groups, including JFAST (Jewish Faculty, Administrators, Staff and Allies Group), a Turkish Faculty and Staff Support Group, and a group for LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff. In D-Term, we’ll launch our first DEIB learning and professional development certificate program for faculty and staff, offering advanced training on the needs of different identity groups. This pilot program aims to be offered 1-2 times a year. We're also beginning plans for our Fall 2025 DEIB symposium. There’s a lot of exciting things to come!
