Dr. Rochelle Newton is an Assistant Divisional Chief Operating Officer with Duke Health Technology Solutions (DHTS). Rochelle has worked in IT since 1977 in both the private and public sectors. Rochelle is an introvert and loves to read and watch documentaries on American History. The only fiction she reads is anything written by John Grisham. Rochelle is a fierce proponent for advocacy, pay equality and promotion, and creating community within marginalized groups. Rochelle led the first team to examine food insecurity on college campuses, including Duke. Rochelle and Paula Herber co-chaired Duke’s TechExpo in 2014. In 2017, Rochelle formed a diverse group of technicians from across the entire Duke campus. This group meets the last Thursday of each month for lunch. Before Covid, the group met in various locations around Duke. Since Covid, we use Zoom to stay connected. I love to read and Sudoku puzzles. Rochelle is married to a 3rd grade Durham teacher and has two adult children (Dechelle and Everett). Her family had two beagles (Zipper and Johnny) before Zipper died in 2017. Prior to the beagles, the family had a dalmation with just a few black spots.
Rochelle's career has been anything other than traditional. She has worked IT for more than 40 years. Rochelle did not receive her first college degree until she was in her early 40s. As a non-traditional student for her entire academic education, she questions the underlying presumption of a one-size-fits-all model in education and has become a focus of her advocacy. For many non-traditional students, academic success is unique to the learner and formulizing success requires more than admission and a classroom. For traditional students, access to education is equally challenging as many are unprepared for the rigor and the social hierarchy of education at every level. In addition to education and technology, diversity and pay inequities, food insecurity on college campuses, and mentorship for women in Information Technology are deep-seated passions.
In this "Diversity Chat" on March 17, 2021, Rochelle Newton talks with W. Franklin Evans, President and CEO of West Liberty University. Evans discusses working at HCBU and PWI institutions, the importance of the Chief Diversity Officer position, and the need for teachers to begin empowering students at the elementary school level.
In this "Diversity Chat" on July 14, 2020, Rochelle Newton talks with Michael B. Horn, a speaker, author, and senior strategist at Guild Education. Horn discusses how the past US educational system maintained the status quo and needs to change so that people can find the educational pathway that works for them and be able to develop, and continue to develop over their lifetime, the core skills required to be successful in today’s knowledge economy.
In this "Diversity Chat" on September 13, 2020, Rochelle Newton talks with Helen Norris, vice president and chief information officer at Chapman University. Norris discusses her road to a CIO position coming from a background as an immigrant woman, and she emphasizes the importance of advocacy to amplify the voice of others.
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