Susan Toliver (1977)

Professor of Sociology, Iona College

Susan D. Toliver, Ph.D., CFLE, is Professor of Sociology and Department Chair at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, where she previously held the positions of Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Science, Director of Women’s Studies, and Coordinator of Peace and Justice Education. She holds a doctoral degree in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her areas of specialization include multicultural diversity, family especially work-family intersections, race and ethnic relations, sociological theory, and sex and gender studies. She has written about and researched U.S. families, particularly African American families, multicultural organizational development, and other subjects. She is a member of several professional associations and is a past president of the New York State Council on Family Relations. At present, she serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Visionary Leadership Project. She has done extensive work in multiculturalism, directing faculty as well as corporate employee development activities; leading workshops; conducting seminars; and evaluating departmental, multi-institutional, and state-wide multicultural diversity projects. She is an AIDS activist and has conducted seminars and workshops on the subject as well as developed AIDS educational outreach materials for African American women.

Dr. Toliver has worked as a consultant for and/or has given presentations to such organizations as the New York City Board of Education, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education, the Metropolitan Area Minority Employees (MAME) organization and the Black Women’s Leadership Council of Xerox Corporation, IBM, and Bayer Diagnostics.

Dr. Toliver is the author of BLACK FAMILIES IN CORPORATE AMERICA, Sage Publications, 1998.

Dissertation Title
The Black Family in Slavery, The Foundation of Afro American Culture: Its Importance to Members of the Slave Community
Entry Year