In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Greek word for God’s power is δύναμις or Dunamis. Guided by
love for all members of the Pepperdine community, discernment of the Holy Spirit,
and receptiveness to Dunamis, the Office for Community Belonging (OCB) facilitates
the creation of fertile ground in which all Pepperdine community members know they
belong and can reach the levels of spiritual, intellectual, and professional development
that God has planned for them.
Our Mission
Pepperdine’s Office for Community Belonging connects, supports, and equips our faculty,
staff, and students as they create and sustain a unified Pepperdine community.
Our Vision
Pepperdine’s Office for Community Belonging connects local and global stakeholders
as it invokes and embraces Dunamis (the power of God) to serve the world as leading thinkers and practitioners unifying
God’s diverse humanity through the integration of faith, leadership, and organizational
development.
Our Approach
Our philosophy of intervention is Appreciative Inquiry. We engage all University stakeholders and leverage Pepperdine’s myriad strengths
and resources to unify our community in its varied pursuits of excellence. Our operating
definition of belonging is the state of being one experiences when Ubuntic Inclusion is put into practice.
We aim to infuse care, communication, connection, mentoring and coaching, fairness,
trust, visibility and reward, and positive experiences of belonging into every interaction,
strategy, process, practice, structure, and space in each of our locations for every
faculty, staff, contractor, guest, and student at Pepperdine.
Meet the Team
J. Goosby Smith
Vice President for Community Belonging and Chief Diversity Officer
Read Smith's Full Bio
J. Goosby Smith
J. Goosby Smith serves as the University’s inaugural vice president for community
belonging and chief diversity officer. Guided by God's call to unite God's people,
Smith approaches her specialty areas of human diversity, inclusion, and belonging
with intellectual rigor, methodological soundness, patience, a healing spirit, a love
for humanity, and a good-natured sense of humor.
Before rejoining Pepperdine, where she had previously served as a faculty member in
Seaver College’s Business Administration Division, as a member of the Seaver College
Diversity Council, and as inaugural faculty co-chair of the university diversity council
with Edna Powell, and as an adjunct member of the Graziadio faculty, Smith served
as a faculty member, assistant provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and director
of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center at The Citadel, The Military
College of South Carolina. She also taught at California State University, Channel
Islands and Butler University.
A nationally sought-after public speaker, educator, and consultant, Smith has worked
with a wide range of organizations. At Greater St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Charleston, South Carolina, she served as a Women’s Missionary Society Worship
Leader, Steward, Young People's Division Director, and as an online Bible study teacher.
She is a member of Mensa America, Jack and Jill of America, and Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority, having previously served as inaugural faculty advisor and later graduate
advisor for Pepperdine’s Tau Lambda chapter.
Smith earned a BS in computer science from Spelman College and an MBA and PhD in organizational
behavior from Case Western Reserve University. In 2022, she completed her MDiv from
the Interdenominational Theological Center’s Turner Seminary and was ordained an Itinerant
Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
April Harris Akinloye ('00, MA '05)
Assistant Vice President for Community Belonging
Read Akinloye's Full Bio
April Harris Akinloye ('00, MA '05)
A native of Los Angeles, April Harris Akinloye (’00, MA ’05) serves as assistant vice
president for community belonging. In this role, she assists with the strategic vision,
program implementation and assessment, partnership development, and other initiatives
for which the office has oversight. Driven by a desire to advance cultural competency
and an eagerness to offer an empathetic ear to students, staff, faculty members, alumni,
and administrators, Harris Akinloye’s leadership and expertise in the areas of diversity,
equity, and inclusion have enabled her to cultivate a sense of belonging within the
university setting.
Before joining Pepperdine, Harris Akinloye served in various roles as a university
administrator, most recently as chief diversity officer at Vanguard University. Her
experience also includes serving as a Title IX coordinator, international student
coordinator, veterans’ student coordinator, assistant director of admissions, assistant
director of the McNair Scholars Program, and director of intercultural student programs.
Her breadth of expertise and prior collaborative relationships with cabinet members,
deans, and community members contribute highly to her effectiveness in policy development,
conflict resolution, and proactive intervention.
Harris Akinloye is a double alumna of Pepperdine, holding a BA in speech communication
from Seaver College and an MA in education from the Graduate School of Education and
Psychology. She earned a PhD in education, with a focus on cultural perspectives,
from the University of California, Santa Barbara.