Building belonging

“Wright State changed my life. It shaped me in powerful ways. It gave me mentors who invested in me, it gave me professors who pushed me to think critically and experiences that really helped me find my voice and learn about me as a person. It helped me to build my confidence and sense of purpose.”—Tonya Mathis ’98, ’02

Tonya Mathis ’98, ’02 has spent her career opening doors — and holding them open for others.

For more than two decades, she has helped colleges, medical schools and health care institutions build workplaces where people feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

Mathis received Wright State University’s 2026 Tony Alexander Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes alumni for outstanding volunteer service and leadership in support of the university or its alumni organizations.

A first-generation, nontraditional student and single parent when she enrolled, Mathis earned a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services and a Master of Education.

She credits Wright State with helping her find her voice and define her purpose.

“Wright State changed my life,” she said. “It shaped me in powerful ways. It gave me mentors who invested in me, it gave me professors who pushed me to think critically and experiences that really helped me find my voice and learn about me as a person. It helped me to build my confidence and sense of purpose. All of those things, they’ve guided my work and my leadership ever since.”

As a student, Mathis found more than academic preparation — she found a campus that fit her life.

Wright State’s sense of community helped her pursue a degree without uprooting her family, while still feeling immersed in college life. She brought her children to basketball games and campus events while also attending lectures and student activities that broadened her world.

With more than 20 years of experience advancing equity in higher education and academic medicine, Mathis is known for building inclusive workplaces that foster belonging and drive transformation. Her work is rooted in the belief that equity is a daily practice that strengthens teams, leads to innovation and shapes the future of health care and education.

Tonya Mathis, center, who earned degrees in rehabilitation services and education from Wright State, received the 2026 Tony Alexander Volunteer Service Award. (Photo by Erin Pence)

Today, Mathis is the inaugural director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Dartmouth Cancer Center in New Hampshire. She focuses on fostering a welcoming workplace that helps people experience meaningful and sustained success.

“My career has been rooted, I believe, in helping organizations become places where people are valued and supported,” she said. “I’ve worked across higher education, I’ve worked across health care within medical schools, leading inclusive hiring, professional development and culture transformation.”

Before joining Dartmouth, Mathis was the regional director for the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium and as diversity program manager at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. In those roles, she partnered with institutions nationwide to implement equitable hiring practices and cultivate environments where faculty and staff could thrive.

Receiving the Tony Alexander Volunteer Service Award, she said, came as a surprise at this stage in her career.

“This is an extraordinary award,” she said, “and I’m really appreciative, feel very humbled that someone took the time to think enough about me and to submit a nomination on my behalf.”

Her family’s ties to Wright State now span three generations — her daughter earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Wright State, and her granddaughter has chosen to become a Raider as well.

For Mathis, the decision she made years ago to a college degree as a single parent has come full circle.

“It brought about an opportunity and it really helped me learn about me, discover who I am,” she said. “Discovery, opportunity, challenge, excitement. That’s what a Wright State degree means to me.”

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