Professor Emerita Brenda J. Allen (Ph.D., Howard University) retired in April 2019 as the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Colorado Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Allen is renowned for scholarship, teaching, service, mentorship, and training related to organizational communication, social identity, power, and leadership, with an emphasis on higher education. She has served in many leadership roles, including Chair of the Department of Communication, Associate Dean, and Master Mentor. Among Dr. Allen’s numerous publications is a groundbreaking book entitled Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity. In 2020, she launched a global online course entitled Inclusive Leadership: The Power of Workplace Diversity that is receiving international acclaim. As an independent consultant, she offers highly-rated workshops, facilitations, keynote speeches, and coaching on a variety of diversity, equity and inclusion topics. Dr. Allen has received numerous honors, including: the Carroll C. Arnold Distinguished Lecturer for the National Communication Association and a Leadership in Public Higher Education Award. In addition, her colleagues at CU Denver established a diversity and inclusion scholarship and a leadership award in her name.