After being without permanent leadership for almost a year, the Title IX and Equal Opportunity Services office welcomed two new employees. On Oct. 7, Trinity University introduced Wiley Graham, the new director of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Compliance, and Micheala Postell, the new director of Title IX Compliance, to the Trinity community via an Instagram post on the @trinityu page.
The roles, previously combined under a single position, are entering a major transitional period. Jim Hertel, chief human resources officer, said the decision to split the roles came as a result of the hiring interviews and community town hall conducted in August 2024 before the start of classes.
“We established a search committee. … Then we had a discussion at the end [of the interviews and town hall], and we had two really good candidates with complementary strengths that could really build out the office and allow us to give more focus to both of the areas of the Equal Opportunity Services: Title IX and Equal Employment Opportunity,” Hertel said. “So that’s kind of where we landed and made an offer to both of them.”
The hiring process included separate student and faculty and staff panels, however no students attended in person. Andrew Wells, vice president for Student Affairs, added that Student Affairs will work closely with Postell and the Title IX office, as the search for a Title IX Deputy is ongoing.
“I’m most familiar with those of Michaela [Postell], because we will have collaboration in our Dean of Students Office through the Title IX function,” Wells said. “Essentially, this is an area where it’s really important that we get it right, both on the policy development level, but also on the implementation or facilitation of the policy. And our review of our resources and the landscape indicated that it was time for us to increase the staffing in that area.”
Both Graham and Postell have previous work experience with the Clery Act, Title IX compliance and EOS from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and University of North Texas (UNT). Graham will be focusing on Title VI and Title VII compliance, which covers discrimination based on a protected class. Postell will focus on Title IX compliance, which specifically covers sex discrimination.
“My part of the Equal Opportunity Services Office, which is all encompassing, is going to be focused on Title VII. … At [UTSA] I was exposed to Clery [Act], as well as Title VI, Title VII, human resources,” Graham said. “It all kind of falls under that Equal Opportunity Services, because Title IX is discrimination in terms of the definition. It’s discrimination based on sex.”
As the interim Title IX and EOS coordinator, Kaeeka Harris, wraps up any ongoing cases, Postell and Graham will not only split her role but work full-time as university employees. Postell and Graham bring experience and passion to Trinity in a new era of Title IX.
“I’m very passionate about eliminating sex discrimination from campuses and really everywhere. The only way that we can prevent sex discrimination from happening is through prevention education, which is one of my passion areas,” Postell said. “It’s been something that I’ve been doing since grad school, is working and training on domestic violence, interpersonal violence, stalking awareness, bystander prevention, and I just naturally found my way.”
