Dr. Michelle Nearon
Dr. Michelle Nearon is Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Student Development and Diversity at Yale University. She provides the strategic vision and leadership to build and maintain an inclusive and supportive campus community where graduate students from diverse backgrounds and experiences are supported in their intellectual and professional development pursuits. In addition to serving as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator and the Discrimination and Harassment Response Coordinator, she chairs the Graduate School’s Climate and Inclusion Committee. Dr. Nearon earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brooklyn Polytechnic University, respectively, and a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Stony Brook University. Over the year she also held numerous positions on the Bethpage Federal Credit Union (BFCU) volunteer Board of Directors from 2006 - 2020. BFCU has its headquarters in Bethpage, NY. It is one of the largest credit unions in New York State and one of the top 20 largest in the Nation, with over $10 billion in assets. In 2017 she became their first female and first African American Board Chair in their then 76-year history. In 2020 Dr. Nearon joined the African American Credit Union Coalition as the inaugural Dean for their DEI Leadership Academy for Financial Professionals.
