Following a five-year tenure that included a wide-ranging set of accomplishments promoting academic excellence, global engagement, and innovation in research and teaching, Senior Vice President Shontay Delalue is leaving Dartmouth to pursue a yearlong fellowship with the American Council on Education.
The ACE fellowship is “the nation’s premier leadership development experience in higher education,” boasting over 2,500 alumni, including college presidents, provosts, and other senior leaders, according to the ACE website. Delalue’s last day as SVP will be June 30, though she will continue to teach at Dartmouth in health policy and clinical practice.
“Shontay has made important and lasting contributions to Dartmouth,” says President Sian Leah Beilock. “The ACE fellowship is a great opportunity to pursue the next stage of her leadership journey, and I could not be more thrilled for her.”
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished during my five years in Hanover,” says Delalue, who has been focused on her research and teaching for the last year. “I arrived in 2021, at the height of the pandemic, and immediately found collaborators eager to use data to drive strategic decision-making and advance Dartmouth priorities. As an ACE Fellow, I am excited to expand my leadership skills and continue my scholarship on health and wealth equity.”
Delalue, who came to Dartmouth after serving as vice president for institutional equity and diversity at Brown University, was Dartmouth’s inaugural senior vice president and senior diversity officer. Among many accomplishments, she led the successful implementation of the institutionwide Toward Equity strategic plan at Dartmouth.
“Shontay is the ultimate values-based leader,” says President Emeritus Philip J. Hanlon ’77. “Thanks to her leadership as senior vice president, Dartmouth is a more diverse and more inclusive campus.”
Her leadership of Institutional Diversity and Equity was characterized by evidence-based strategies that aligned diversity objectives with academic excellence. To that end, Delalue also:
- Played a significant role in the launch of the Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life at Dartmouth, supporting its leadership and ongoing programming
- Promoted the creation of Dartmouth NEXT, a campuswide initiative to support students in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
- Collected data and authored a comprehensive report on international students’ experience at Dartmouth that led to the creation of the International Student Experience Office
- Created the position of and hired an ADA/Section 504 coordinator
- Supported Dartmouth initiatives in Africa, leading institutional site visits to Ghana and the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya, and partnered on the inaugural Dartmouth in Africa Summit in Kenya
- Worked with Alumni Relations and Advancement to raise funds for student access and global engagement, and to help launch and co-host the annual Black Alumni at Dartmouth event on Martha’s Vineyard
Delalue earned a doctorate in education through a joint program at the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Maine.
She has continued her education, research, and teaching at Dartmouth, completing a master’s of public health from Geisel School of Medicine, and has taught a course annually in the master of public health program since 2022. She holds an adjunct assistant professorship in health policy and clinical practice at Geisel and will continue her work there as a lecturer.
Delalue’s research has included launching the Black Health & Wealth Equity Lab, an interdisciplinary initiative advancing scholarship and practice on health disparities and wealth inequality. She is also co-creator of Medical Misogynoir, a graphic medicine project illuminating the intersection of racism and sexism experienced by Black women in healthcare.
“We were fortunate at IBICL to have Shontay Delalue as a partner, particularly as the institute was newly coming into being on campus,” says Kimberly Juanita Brown, the director of the Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life. “Her vision, dedication, and enthusiasm set the center forward in ways that will reverberate into the future. We are deeply indebted to Dr. Delalue for the example she represents for us.”
A TIAA Institute Fellow, Delalue has also evaluated the financial knowledge of undergraduate first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds through a qualitative study funded by the TIAA Institute. She regularly hosted community events at her home in Hanover, creating a welcoming atmosphere on campus and for the Upper Valley, including an annual Juneteenth and Commencement celebration. She also organized Juneteenth lectures.
“I am deeply grateful to the students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members who welcomed my family and me to Hanover five years ago,” says Delalue. “Dartmouth gave me the opportunity to lead during a period of profound challenge and transformation, and I move onto the next chapter proud of what we built. The work of leading and creating institutions where people feel seen, supported, and inspired continues. I remain committed to doing my part in shaping that future.”
