About

Roger L. Worthington is a professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the University of Maryland, where he also served as department chair from 2014 to 2017. He holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, earned in 1995. Dr. Worthington is the founder and executive director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education, a position he has held since 2017. His research interests focus on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education, including antiracism, campus climate assessment, difficult dialogues, multicultural counseling competencies, and sexual identity development. He has served as the past editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education and the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and has held roles such as Interim Associate Provost and Cabinet-level Diversity Officer at UMD, as well as Assistant Deputy Chancellor and CDO at the University of Missouri. Recognized for his contributions to diversity and inclusive excellence, Dr. Worthington received the Frank W. Hale Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education in 2020 and the Evelyn Hooker Award for Distinguished Contribution by an Ally in 2015. He is a Fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology and has been actively involved in shaping standards and practices for diversity officers in higher education. His scholarly work and consulting focus on issues of diversity in counseling and education, and he has taught courses on ethics, law, multicultural counseling, and difficult dialogues.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Social Science
• Law
• Sociology
• Public relations
• Paleontology
• Management
• History
• Medicine
• Genealogy
• Geology
• Public administration
• Geography
• Pedagogy
• Medical education
• Psychology

Selected publications

• From principles to practice: Ethical leadership in a time of threat.

  Journal of Diversity in Higher Education · 2026-03-16

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Non-Athlete High School Students' Music Usage During Exercise

  Journal of Student Research · 2023-05-31

  articleOpen access

  With the invention of technology devices such as wireless headphones and portable Bluetooth speakers, teenagers have gradually become heavily reliant on music during exercising/practicing. To find the underlying reason for this habit, an anonymous survey was sent out to 50 high school boarding students in America on 9th December 2022 regarding the purpose of listening to music during exercising/practicing, and their music preferences. Music supports both mental and physical aspects during athletic training. A slight correlation was found between music preferences specifically for the purpose of athletic training, and a slight correlation was found between preferences for genres of music and preference for each aspect of music.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Psychologists as Anti-Racist Change Agents on Campus: “What We Do Is More Important than What We Say or What We Say We Believe”

  Women & Therapy · 2023-10-02 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  AbstractPsychologists, based on their training in the science and practice of change, are well-equipped to make vital contributions to combating inequity and embracing social justice at colleges and universities. By examining the oppressive systemic contexts of higher education and reviewing models of change, this article provides psychologists with critical perspectives and practices to ensure a more transformative and anti-racist approach to change. We consider three conceptual models to help move colleges and universities forward, employ evidence-based research and assessment strategies, and apply them at the individual, group, and organizational levels. A Black feminist critique is also utilized to further understanding of the role of resistance, coalition building, and freedom in creating change on campus.Keywords: Black feminismecological leadershiphigher educationmulticultural change Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

  PublisherDOI

• Postscript

  2022-01-19

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Introduction

  2022-01-19

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The United Kingdom and the United States

  CRC Press eBooks · 2022 · 8 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Political Science
  • Law
  PublisherDOI

• Australia and New Zealand

  CRC Press eBooks · 2022 · 3 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • History
  • Geography
  • Genealogy
  PublisherDOI

• Advancing the professionalization of diversity officers in higher education: Report of the Presidential Task Force on the Revision of the NADOHE standards of professional practice.

  Journal of Diversity in Higher Education · 2020 · 19 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Social Science
  PublisherDOI

• 3. Institutional Diversity Work as Intellectual Work at the University of Missouri–Columbia

  Rutgers University Press eBooks · 2019-12-31 · 1 citations

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Race-Related Activism: How Do Higher Education Diversity Professionals Respond?

  Review of higher education/˜The œreview of higher education · 2019-01-01 · 39 citations

  article

  Diversity professionals are often expected to respond to campus race-related student activism. However, little is known about how they perceive their roles and relationships, or enact strategies as they engage in this work. Informed primarily by Williams's (2013) Strategic Diversity Compass and secondarily by Critical Race Theory (CRT), we conducted a qualitative case study of campus diversity professionals who had responded to race-related student activism. We found they relied most heavily on political leadership strategies, navigating existing structures of power and racism in the academy, educating the campus community, and translating student activists' needs to institutional leaders.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Frank R. Dillon

  Arizona State University

  13 shared

• Donald R. Atkinson

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  9 shared

• Rachel L. Navarro

  University of North Dakota

  8 shared

• Holly Bielstein Savoy

  6 shared

• Richard Hays

  Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health

  4 shared

• Jim McKillop

  4 shared

• Andy Wearn

  4 shared

• Jeni Hart

  4 shared

Awards & honors

• Frank W. Hale Distinguished Service Award from the National…
• Evelyn Hooker Award for Distinguished Contribution by an All…
• Fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17…