Many know Kimya Massey as the senior associate athletic director at Oregon State University, who helps college athletes accumulate skills they can use in life after college. But not many know his other title: chief diversity officer for athletics.

In his role, Massey ensures the athletic department considers everything from a social justice lens and makes sure they treat all athletes and staff equitably. Massey also provides student-athletes space to share opinions and thoughts or other safe places on campus to do so.

Being an athlete in college himself, Massey gained an appreciation for college athlet- ics. After receiving his master’s degree at Michigan State University, he got involved in the university’s Academic Support Program for Student Athletes.

Following his time at MSU, Massey worked at the University of Memphis in Tennessee, Indiana University, the University of Central Florida and finally, OSU.

“I really enjoy Oregon State and what it means to be a Beaver,” Massey said. “I enjoy working with students, student- athletes, being a part of a college campus and this community.”

When Massey first joined Beaver Nation in 2011, he was given the task of completely rede- signing the student-athlete development area.

“What it came down to was, okay, we need to establish a program that is broad in scope because, let’s be honest, student-athletes are very broad in their diversity,” Massey said. “We’re probably the most diverse group on campus, almost 50% of our student-athletes are from underrepresented populations and we have probably almost 15% of our athletes that are international students.”

No matter how a person identifies in the world of athletics in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities, Kimya and his team are dedicated to making sure each student-athlete not only feels heard, but also appreciated for their talent and hard work.

As a biracial man who lived in Southern Oregon for some time, Massey said he and his family have been treated differently because of their racial background.

“My own experiences and my own identity crisis of ‘Who am I’—am I Black, am I white, am I multiracial—I think figuring that out has been really important personally, but it’s led me in this role to understand that our student- athletes and staff come from so many different backgrounds,” Massey said.

Massey said he believes it has been reward- ing to help the students figure out their iden- tity and how they can feel safe and comfort- able. He and his team believe this so strongly, they even added a letter to DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“We always say DEI, DEI, but we say DEIB, which stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, because at the end of the day,

for anyone on this campus, you need to have a sense of belonging to feel like you can accom- plish anything,” Massey said.

OSU has a reputation of being a campus that is filled with different perspectives, opinions and people who come from all over the globe. Massey is one of the key members of the ath- letic department who help keep OSU a safe and welcoming place for all student-athletes.

It wasn’t long until Massey was recognized for all of the hard work that he does for the OSU athletic community.

On Jan. 12, Kimya Massey was promoted to deputy athletics director and chief operating officer, as announced by OSU Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Barnes.

“He has taken our Student-Athlete Development program to levels among the very best in the nation,” Barnes said. “His leadership and professionalism working with our student-athletes and fellow staff members have been unmatched.”

Massey was very grateful for his promotion and is looking forward to continue impacting the lives of student-athletes at Oregon State University.

“I am very excited for this new role and opportunity to continue to serve our outstand- ing student-athletes and programs at Oregon State,” Massey said. “I want to thank Scott Barnes for this opportunity, as well as his leadership and vision for Beaver Athletics. This is truly an incredible community with great momentum, and I am ecstatic to continue to be a part of Beaver Nation.”