Professor Dora Malech was recognized as one of the 2018 Diversity Recognition Award Winners. She has created successful and ongoing partnerships with Baltimore schools between the Writing Seminars program and Writers in Baltimore schools by diversifying the curriculum and syllabus offerings to include writers of color and addressing issues of equity and inclusion. For her students, Dora focused on high-impact activities such as service learning. These courses focus on the intersection of poetry and social concern and serve as model for other departments to address diversity and inclusion in academia. Dora also partners with the Center for Africana Studies and LGBTQ Life to bring new and diverse writers and editors to campus. Her work has resulted in successful hiring of underrepresented minority candidates and serves as a model for best practices as related to student success, retention and scholarship.