1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »Peterson named interim director of the Office of Institutional Equity

K-State Today

January 25, 2021

Peterson named interim director of the Office of Institutional Equity

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Demetrius Peterson has been named interim director of the Office of Institutional Equity, or OIE, and Title IX coordinator. He succeeds Cleo Magwaro who recently accepted the position of associate vice president of Institutional Equity at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, where she will provide leadership over VCU's equity and access programs, equal opportunity, and civil rights compliance. Magwaro joined K-State in 2016.

Peterson, senior counsel at Husch Blackwell, has extensive experience working with institutions of higher education in the areas of civil rights, including sexual harassment, racial discrimination and harassment, age discrimination and retaliation. Peterson has also conducted comprehensive investigations for schools and provided training in these areas, including training to the KBOR Title IX Coordinators' Workgroup. He has previously visited K-State and worked with OIE as a guest speaker.

Before joining Husch Blackwell, Peterson served as in-house legal counsel for the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

Peterson will serve in the interim role until the search for the permanent director of OIE and Title IX coordinator is completed.

The search committee for the director and Title IX coordinator search was announced on Dec. 16, 2020, and is targeting to complete the search in the March timeframe.  

Any person may report concerns of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and/or retaliation by filing a report using the contact information at k-state.edu/oie/file-complaint.html. You can find more information about the Office for Institutional Equity on its website.