Dr. Sim Covington Jr.
Rotary Club of Canandaigua, NY
A 16+ year veteran of the State University of New York (SUNY), Dr. Sim J. Covington Jr.’s tenure within higher education is well established. Relocating to New York’s Capital District to begin his undergraduate and graduate studies, while at the University at Albany Sim went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling, a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Counseling, and a Master of Science in Educational Administration & Policy Studies – Higher Education Leadership. His professional career started at his alma mater as the Assistant Director/Internship Coordinator of the University at Albany Career Development Center, where he also served in the Advisement Services Center for Undergraduate Studies. A proud six-time graduate of the SUNY system, Sim went on to complete his MBA in Technology Management at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, as well as his Advanced Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management at Empire State College. For his doctoral training, Sim completed his Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
A National Conference On Race & Equity (NCORE) attendee and member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), Sim is also a former Diversity Chair for the Mohawk Valley Society for Human Resource Management (MVSHRM). In spring 2018, Sim joined Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) as their inaugural Chief Diversity Officer and is responsible for supporting all aspects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within various segments of the institution. Focusing on climate, policy, curriculum, programming and recruitment, Sim works to advance diversity and equity within institutional units in support of organizational sustainability. Since Sim’s hire, diversity applicants for employment has increased 50% at the college, and the FLCC has also set record numbers on the national level as a community college for their DEI campus climate survey response.
A proud proponent of world-class executive education, Sim has completed programs at Harvard Business School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Yale School of Management, Columbia Business School, the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, UCLA Anderson School of Management, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, and Stanford Graduate School of Business. As an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Social Sciences, Sim continues to promote intellectual curiosity and social justice. Among his many accolades, he was in the first class of the National Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy (NIXLA), in addition to being a member of Sigma Alpha Pi, National Society of Leadership and Success. A distinguished brother of the Albany (NY) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and recognized as a Lifetime Member on the Grand Chapter level, Sim is also a member of the Canandaigua Rotary Club.