Kijua Sanders-McMurtry

Kijua Sanders-McMurtry serves as the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Mount Holyoke College. Originally from Pasadena, California, Sanders-McMurtry was inspired to become a full-time diversity educator after the deaths of Sakia Gunn and Matthew Shepard. Both individuals were targeted and killed because of their gender and sexual identities. Since then, she has become a nationally recognized advocate for diversity and inclusion. 

Sanders-McMurtry holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology from Georgia State University. A high school dropout, she credits her non-traditional academic journey to her mentors at Pasadena City College, where she completed an associate’s degree in social sciences.