Georgetown University Appoints New Leader for LGBTQ Support Services Center
Georgetown University has appointed Lionell Daggs III as the new director of its LGBTQ Resource Center. Daggs brings a decade of experience in Jesuit higher education, most recently serving as the associate director of racial justice initiatives at Georgetown's Center for Social Justice (CSJ).
In this new role, Daggs will lead the LGBTQ Resource Center's mission to provide resources, outreach, advocacy, and programming for Georgetown's LGBTQ community. The center, which opened in 2008, was the first of its kind at a Catholic, Jesuit institution in the U.S.
The center offers education, programming, and support services to Georgetown students, staff, faculty, and alumni of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Its goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for LGBTQ community members, aligning with Georgetown's values.
Eleanor Daugherty, Georgetown's vice president for student affairs, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Lionell Daggs III to lead the LGBTQ Resource Center. His work is essential as we continue to build a community that welcomes and supports all students."
Daggs' Jesuit education has played a crucial role in shaping his career, which has focused on advocating for and empowering students. He attended the Jesuit High School of New Orleans before moving west to attend the University of San Francisco, another Jesuit institution.
At the University of San Francisco, Daggs worked for over six years, first as a program assistant and then as an assistant director for the Cultural Centers, which included the Gender and Sexuality Center and Intercultural Center. In this role, he helped create identity-based community meetup spaces, organized events for the university's LGBTQ community, and established a gender-affirming clothing closet, the first of its kind at a Jesuit institution.
At CSJ, Daggs pioneered the "Critical Conversations on Race," a 12-week racial literacy dialogue series designed for CSJ student leaders, and worked on the "Teach Dr. King's Speech," an annual program as part of the "Let Freedom Ring! Initiative."
Daggs attributes his motivation for pursuing a career in higher education to a lack of representation of individuals who shared his salient identities in leadership roles during his own educational experience. He was drawn to Georgetown by the Jesuit mission and values and the numerous policy decisions affecting communities made in Washington, D.C.
As the new director of the LGBTQ Resource Center, Daggs plans to build a mentorship program for LGBTQ students, expand the center's social media reach, and create a series called "Out in the Workplace" to engage students with LGBTQ Georgetown alumni. He values authenticity, joy, rest, growth, and adaptability and wants to create space for these values within the center and the wider Georgetown community.
- Lionell Daggs III, who has experience in Jesuit higher education, will lead the LGBTQ Resource Center at Georgetown University to provide resources, outreach, advocacy, and programming, aiming to create an education-and-self-development environment for all students.
- With a career focused on advocating for and empowering students, Daggs, who attended the Jesuit High School of New Orleans and the University of San Francisco, plans to introduce initiatives like a mentorship program, expand the center's social media reach, and create a series called "Out in the Workplace" to engage students with LGBTQ Georgetown alumni, fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for career development.
- Daggs' goal in his new role as director aligns with Georgetown's values, aiming to create a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ community, allowing for learning and growth, embodying authenticity, joy, rest, and adaptability within the university setting.
