Meet Our Team

Meshea L. Poore, Esq., a long-time champion of underrepresented people, serves as vice president and chief diversity officer for the West Virginia University Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In that role, she motivates the Mountaineer family to recognize the value in diversity and challenges all who interact with her to create transformational change.

Poore has been helping light the way toward equity throughout her career. An attorney who served in the WV House of Delegates from 2009-2014, she is an accomplished and sought-after motivational speaker, public and political leadership consultant and strategist. The Women’s Campaign Fund named her a “Game Changer” during her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives for WV's 2nd Congressional District. She has mentored and consulted with hundreds of elected officials throughout the nation as they seek higher office. Poore is also an experienced educator who served as an adjunct professor at WV State University, as a faculty member in residence at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University and has teaching privileges at WVU College of Law. In 2017, Poore became the first African-American woman named president of the West Virginia State Bar since its 1947 founding. Prior to operating her own practice, she was an attorney in the Office of the Kanawha County Public Defender in Charleston, WV. She is an alumna of the prestigious German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, a member of the executive committee for the Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and is President of the Big 12 Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Poore earned her bachelor's degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She also graduated from the Women's Campaign School at Yale University.

Poore has recently facilitated insightful conversations with leading voices in social justice work, including Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award Winner and author of How to Be an Antiracist; Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and creator of the landmark 1619 Project; and W. Kamau Bell, sociopolitical comedian and host of the Emmy Award winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America.

Richard Anderson is a Graduate Assistant in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, formerly serving as Senior Executive Assistant to the Vice President.

Richard is a graduate of West Virginia State University with bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Economics. In his previous role, Richard was a Research Analyst with the Performance Evaluation and Research Division of the West Virginia Legislature.

Kayla is a Case Manager for the Office of Equity Assurance. She is responsible for triaging complaints as they come into the office and providing resources and supportive measures to those who require assistance. She earned her Master of Legal Studies degree from West Virginia University in 2017. 

Dr. Angela Cartwright brings her expertise in multicultural and equity issues in education and experience as a leader in higher education to the role of Director of Diversity Initiatives and Community Engagement. She is a career educator with international experience that ranges from elementary students to university graduate students. Her first classroom was with AmeriCorps Energy Express in Flemington, WV. She later worked in a high school Social Studies department where she specialized in working with at-risk students and earned the OEA Grassroots Activist Educator of the Year Award. Upon completion of her PhD in Multicultural and Equity Studies, she joined higher education, earning tenure and Associate rank before moving to a Vice Provost role in London, England. 

Megan Chambers serves as the Senior Executive Assistant for the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Megan is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies. Prior to her current role, Megan worked as an Administrative Specialist for the WVU Cancer Institute where she assisted the Chief of Advanced Practice Professionals and the Associate Director of Administration.

James Goins currently serves as the Director of Equity Assurance and the Title IX Coordinator in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. James provides senior-level leadership pertaining to all issues of civil rights and is responsible for the oversight of institutional equity compliance, including Title IX and ADA/Section 504 compliance, as well as relationship violence and sexual misconduct prevention, outreach, and education for the University and its regional campuses.

Sarah brings her experience as a public broadcasting journalist, higher education administrator, writer and project manager to her work facilitating and managing projects for the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Sarah earned her BA in International Studies from WV Wesleyan College and her MA in German from Middlebury College and has studied and worked abroad. She is also a 1998 graduate of Leadership West Virginia.

Jill Hess serves as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for WVU. In her work, she provides direct service and accommodations to faculty, staff and GA/GTA/RAs with disabilities on all WVU campuses and ensures institutional compliance with Title I and Title II of the ADA. Jill began her career as a consultant for the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), and in 2006 joined WVU’s Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) as a Rehabilitation Counselor, serving students and faculty members on the Morgantown, WVU Tech, and Potomac State College Campuses. She is passionate about inclusivity, intersectionality, and the accessibility of all Mountaineers.

Anne Kerns serves as the Special Events Coordinator for the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a graduate of American Military University with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Anne brings her experience as a photographer, business owner, and clinical project specialist to her work at WVU.

Madisyn is a Case Manager for the Office of Equity Assurance. She is responsible for triaging complaints as they come into the office and providing resources and supportive measures to those who require assistance. She earned her Master’s in Public Administration from West Virginia University in 2021. Prior to joining the division, Madisyn served as a victim advocate for the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center where she provided support and advocacy to community members in the greater Morgantown area.

Autumn Mayle is a Title IX Education Specialist for the Office of Equity Assurance. In her role, she is responsible for developing programming and education aimed at reducing discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, domestic misconduct, stalking, and retaliation campus wide. In addition, Autumn serves as an Anonymous Employee for faculty, staff and students who are unsure of reporting options and available resources. Prior to joining the division, Autumn graduated with her Ph. D. in History from WVU and has acquired over eight years of experience in higher education supporting students, faculty, and staff as a professor and administrator. 

Maggie von Dolteren serves as a Prevention Education Specialist, providing education, training, and technical assistance designed to prevent interpersonal violence before it occurs and minimize the harm people experience. Maggie also works with the Peer Advocate program, empowering students to respond to violence and oppression while supporting their peers. Prior to joining the team,  Maggie was a certified Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate at the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, specializing in supporting survivors of domestic violence engaged with the child welfare system, training child protection workers on the impacts and dynamics of domestic violence, and facilitating coordinated community responses to violence.