This week, Wellesley College President H. Kim Bottomly announced the appointment of Layli Maparyan, Ph.D., as the new Katherine Stone Kaufmann ’67 Executive Director of the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations conducting scholarly research and developing action programs centered on women’s and girls’ perspectives. Read the full announcment on the Wellesley College news site.

Dr. Maparyan is best for scholarship in the area of womanism, a social change perspective that focuses on what everyday women from around the world can contribute to global dialogues about social and environmental problems. Womanism is historically rooted in the cultural perspectives of women of color, particularly Africana women, and integrates social, ecological, and spiritual dimensions into the change process, with the goal of creating well-being for families and communities. Maparyan's work focuses on the global applicability of the womanist perspective, encompassing people of all genders and backgrounds.

In this video, Maparyan discusses the Centers and her new role.