Alaina Macaulay - Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Inclusive Excellence

Assistant Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Leadership

Alaina M. T. Macaulay is a dedicated leader with a strong background in advancing inclusion within higher education and organizational settings. Macaulay currently serves as the Assistant Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Leadership at Tufts University where she leads the university’s strategic efforts to build a more inclusive university culture.

Before Tufts, Alaina served as Senior Director for Inclusion and Strategic Engagement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she led initiatives aimed at fostering an inclusive campus environment. These initiatives included overseeing the University Employee Resource Groups, the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Collaborative, both the Black and Native Advisory Councils, the Campus Engagement Fund, and large-scale programming that engaged both the UMass community and the broader Western Massachusetts region.

Earlier in her career, Alaina served as Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Elms College. There, she developed and chaired the institution’s diversity committee, created the first multicultural affinity space, and initiated student affinity groups. Alaina also organized the school’s inaugural Black Experience Summit and worked closely with students as both a success coach and advocate. Alaina is currently finishing her PhD in higher education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Previously, she attended Western Illinois University where she was a Division I student-athlete receiving both a BS and MS. During her time at Western Illinois University, she co-founded and co-chaired WE (Women Empowering), a group for women student-athletes to build community, self-esteem and inclusive spaces. During their career, Alaina has led workshops and presentations nationally and internationally on the importance of inclusive excellence and finding your voice. Alaina has served on the boards of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, Girls Inc. of the Valley, the Holyoke Community College Foundation, and the Chester Theatre Company, was named BusinessWest Forty Under 40 class of 2022 and highlighted as a Black Leader in Massachusetts by MassLive during their Juneteenth Issue in 2024.