The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion congratulates Tiffini Stevenson Earl, director of equity investigations and ADA coordinator in the Office of Institutional Equity, as the recipient of the 2024 David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award in Service to the University of Iowa.

The David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award in Service to the University of Iowa is given annually to individuals who have made significant contributions and have shown exceptional imagination and dedication to improving the university community. Service must include activities of high quality in staff governance, committee work, policy improvement, program creation, and more, outside normal job responsibilities.

Tiffini earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, both from the University of Iowa. She earned her juris doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law. Earl has been conducting complaint investigations and designing and delivering educational programs since 2005, as well as ADA compliance since 2008.

“We could not be prouder of Tiffini as she is recognized as the David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award honoree for 2024,” stated Liz Tovar, executive officer and associate vice president of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Her dedication to our university is fueled by her passion to care for all our students, faculty, and staff.”

Tiffini’s work at the University of Iowa is as personal as it is professional. A mother of five children (Kendra, Kenya, Keonna, Kacie, and Kareem), it was Earl’s daughter, Keonna, who gave her a deeper insight into what it was like to attend the University of Iowa with a disability. Keonna was born with cerebral palsy and overcame cancer at age 14. 

From a recent Iowa Magazine article:

“Keonna’s disability has given me a new outlook,” says Stevenson Earl, who earned a law degree from Iowa as a young mother. “When individuals look at our campus and see an accessibility issue, it’s going to fall on my shoulders. I don’t want to be the barrier or the reason why someone couldn’t achieve something.”