Leo Leckie, executive assistant to the associate vice president for diversity, announced Thursday that he will step down from his position next month.
Leckie, who has served in the office for seven years, said he is “ready to transition to new things.” Although he is not sure what he wants to do next, he said that he plans to pursue other opportunities at the U.
“His departure represents a tremendous loss for our office,” said Octavio Villalpando, associate vice president for diversity. “Leo is irreplaceable and leaves high standards for his successor.”
Faculty in Leckie’s office and in the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs wished him well.
Leckie had a passion and a willingness to work with the university and CESA in furthering diversity efforts, said Rich Garcia, director of CESA, who works closely with Villalpando’s office.
“The work that this office does is so central to the educational experience of every student, staff and faculty member at this university,” Leckie said. “I’d like to thank those that I’ve been honored enough to work with that challenged issues of access, equity and awareness on campus.”
Leckie initially planned to resign earlier this year when former Associate Vice President for Diversity Karen Dace left the U for a position at the University of Missouri, but fellow faculty convinced him to stay around, Leckie said.
A replacement to fill Leckie’s position will be announced as early as next week, Villalpando said.
“Anything I do from here on out, it’s going to be hard-pressed to match the work we’ve done in this office,” Leckie said.