Jeffrey Coleman will become the next vice president for diversity, inclusion and community engagement at Framingham State University.

He starts on Jan. 3, the university said in a statement.

Coleman brings more than 20 years of experience in serving as a consultant and qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory, a division of Hammer Holdings Inc. that offers products, services and visionary global solutions for the advancement of cultural competence and intercultural conflict resolution.

He has also served as deputy chief diversity officer at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, where his role included collaborative oversight of the university’s affirmative action plan.

Coleman holds a Ph.D. in educational studies and cultural studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; a master of science in counseling with a concentration in student development in higher education from Central Connecticut State University; and a bachelor of arts degree in public policy studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Education Professor Wardell Powell will continue serving as interim chief diversity and inclusion officer at FSU until Coleman comes aboard.

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Christa Collins, director of land protection at the Sudbury Valley Trustees since 2008, retired earlier this month after 20 years with the nonprofit conservation organization.

Collins played a role in the protection of more than 3,100 acres across 88 properties during her time at SVT.

She was integral to the conservation of some of the region’s most expansive and well-known landscapes, including the 218-acre Mainstone Farm in Wayland; the 300-acre Nobscot Scout Reservation in Sudbury; the 90-acre Sweetwilliam Farm and Whitney Conservation Area in Upton; and most recently, the 100-acre Horseshoe Pond on Mount Pisgah in Berlin.

The Sudbury Valley Trustees is a nonprofit that works to protect natural areas and farmland for wildlife and people in the 36 communities that surround the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers.

Collins will continue to serve as a board member with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition.

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Mary Benvenuto, of Blackstone, was recently named executive vice president and chief financial officer at Open Sky Community Services, a nonprofit human services and behavioral health organization in Worcester.

She brings nearly 20 years of experience in finance, strategy and leadership. She was most recently CFO at Manet Community Health Center in Quincy, where she was responsible for finance and revenue cycle, information technology and pharmacy.

Benvenuto holds a master’s of science degree in accounting from Nichols College in Dudley. She previously earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bryant University in Rhode Island.

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Robert L. Kilroy and Paul W. Carey, both of Upton, were recently selected to the 2022 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list. No more than 5% of the state's lawyers are selected each year by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a ratings service that is part of Thomson Reuters, to receive this honor.

Kilroy is a partner at Mirick O'Connell, where he specializes in employment litigation in defense of corporations and their executives. He has extensive experience representing hospitals and physicians groups, as well as in both defense and enforcement of non-compete agreements. I

Carey concentrates his practice on creditors' rights, bankruptcy and business reorganization matters. He has extensive experience with bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings and litigation, representing creditors, debtors, creditors' committees, trustees and receivers.

O’Connell is a full-service business law firm with offices in Westborough, Worcester and Boston, Massachusetts.  Founded in 1916, Mirick O'Connell combines leadership, experience and quality professional services.  The Firm’s principal service departments are Business; Construction Law; Creditors’ Rights, Bankruptcy and Reorganization; Elder Law; Family Law and Divorce; Health Law; Intellectual Property; Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits; Land Use and Environmental; Litigation; Personal Injury; Public Law and Municipal Law; and Trusts and Estates.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Jeffrey Coleman named chief diversity officer at Framingham State