Gender and Sexuality Center Names Dr. Billy Huff as New Director
The UIC Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement is delighted to welcome Dr. Billy Huff as the new director of the Gender and Sexuality Center starting on January 16th, pending University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval.
“I am looking forward to welcoming Billy Huff to UIC,” said Amalia Pallares, vice chancellor for diversity, equity & engagement. “He brings extensive experience and expertise to the role in addition to the humanity and creative spirit needed to support our LGBTQ+ community and elevate our campus as a whole.
Huff holds a doctorate from Georgia State University as well as a Master’s in Information Technology from the University of Georgia. He previously served for two years as the director of LGBTQ+ affairs at the University of Florida. Most recently, he served as a lecturer in the department of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
His research, teaching, and service work has always centered social justice with a specific focus on gender and sexuality. He has over 15 years experience teaching courses related to gender, sexuality, anti-racism and social justice in higher education.
Huff will work with the Gender and Sexuality Center in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement to provide leadership that aims to affirm and foster belonging for LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff at UIC. He hopes to offer support and programming that incorporates principles of social justice to reduce heterosexism, genderism, homophobia and transphobia in all of their forms on the UIC campus and beyond.
Created in 1995, UIC’s Gender and Sexuality Center has engaged through the years in innovative educational and cultural programming, campus-wide diversity education and advocacy and multiple student support and inclusion initiatives.
“I hope to work beside our amazing students, staff and faculty to further the legacy of those who came before me at the Gender and Sexuality Center,” said Huff. “[We will work to] continue to make UIC one of the top LGBTQ+ friendly universities in the country. ”
Billy Huff can be contacted at billygenehuff@gmail.com.