Jasen Lee: Hello, everyone. I’m Jasen Lee with the division for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. And today we’re going to meet the new director of the University of Utah’s LGBT Resource Center, Harry Hawkins. Very nice to meet you today.
Harry Hawkins: Nice to meet you, Jasen.
Jasen Lee: Tell me a little bit about yourself, and what’s the story behind Harry Hawkins?
Harry Hawkins: Yeah, you know, I’ve been doing this advocacy work, Jasen, for over a decade now, and as I come into this role, it’s a real chance for me to reflect on my own journey and where I’ve been. You know, I am from the state of Mississippi, that’s where this voice is from. And at the time when I was a student, back when dinosaurs were on the planet, we didn’t really have a lot of LGBTQ infrastructure at that time. So as a student, I advocated at my alma mater to establish a Safe Zone program, updating our nondiscrimination policy on campus to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
And that was really the first time that whole LGBTQ advocacy bug bit me. And from there, I went fresh out of college and worked for the Human Rights Campaign, which is the largest LGBTQ nonprofit in the United States. I had the opportunity to work as a field organizer and also as a lobbyist, so that had me working on federal, state, and municipal legislation for the LGBTQ community. And I think that macro-level experience was one that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
And then after doing that for several years, I decided that I really wanted to go back to my first love, which was higher education. So, I left the Human Rights Campaign in 2017, went to the University of Missouri in Saint Louis, and started their LGBTQ program from scratch. It was like, here’s the machete. We’ll see you on the other side of the jungle. So having the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, you get to learn a lot about the nuances of higher education and how all of the different pieces go together into serving our students and also sometimes our faculty and staff as well.
After doing that for a little bit, I went to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and I served as their assistant director of their LGBTQ center for about ten minutes. And then I became the director, which I have been in that role for the last two and a half years before coming to Utah. So, it was a real step up for me, and the metaphor I like to use, especially for folks at home who watch House Hunters, is that for many years, you know, I was buying the house that needed all the work and all of those things.
And then after a while, it was time for me to say, I’ve reached that point in my career. I want a turnkey operation. And that’s very much the case here in Utah. You know, the center has been around for over two decades doing outstanding, amazing work. And so, bringing the breadth of my experience here to say, how can we take things to the next level? It is very exciting for me.
Jasen Lee: Excellent. Excellent. What made you choose the University of Utah?
Harry Hawkins: University of Utah, you know… I had known Dr. Bryan Hubain from a while back and he had reached out to me and just said, you know, “Harry, you’re doing great things there. Would this be something that you’re interested in?”
And I looked it over. I looked at the work that was being done, and I said, you know what? That is intriguing to me, especially from my heart, I’ve always been a public education kid. And having that opportunity to come back to a public university because I had been in a private one for the last three years, you know, it excited me because I think our public institutions, especially when you look at something like the University of Utah, which is the preeminent school in that state, it’s exciting because you have a wide area to affect positive change and really change people’s lives and the state. And then in the region as well.
Jasen Lee: Harry you’ve had a lot of experience in doing the work previous to getting here. What are your plans for the LGBT Resource Center?
Harry Hawkins: Some of the initial plans, I think I’m looking at right now, Jasen, they’re still formulating. You know, for me, I’m getting to know our staff and getting to know our students and really just taking things in.
And for me, it’s about how do we enhance what we’re currently doing, how do we take things—as I mentioned earlier—to the next level? And then what are the existing opportunities that are out there now? You know, we’re in Student Affairs and then we’re in EDI as well and seeing how can we collaborate together, connect resources, and create a streamlined experience for our LGBTQ students? But then also looking at our faculty and staff as well, sometimes they feel they get left out of those conversations and they are just as important to that experience as well.
Because I like to say my own point of view with our resource centers is that the core and the centerpiece is always serving our students, but then also looking a little broader as well and saying how are we serving the broader campus community? And then also when we look out into Salt Lake City and the region as well, what are things that, you know, we could be doing and leading the way in some of those conversations about LGBTQ advocacy work in the state?
Jasen Lee: Well, listen, we are really grateful to have you here. And if you want to know more about what Harry’s doing in the LGBT Resource Center, please visit our website at diversity.utah.edu. Harry, again, thank you for joining me today, and welcome to the U.
Harry Hawkins: Thank you, Jasen.
