The Chief Diversity Officer Team
The team of the Chief Diversity Officer of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) was established in April 2018. Each of us is very passionate about the topic of diversity and inclusion, and we are continuously working towards making the UvA a safer and more welcoming place.

Anne de Graaf
Chief Diversity Officer
Dr. Anne de Graaf has been the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) since November 2017. Her roles include helping drive the process of cultural change at the UvA toward greater equity, diversity and inclusion. As CDO she is charged with identifying, stimulating, creating and facilitating initiatives both inside and outside the institution; including, for example, her advice on competency-based hiring processes for the UvA but also for the VSNU and read more

Alfrida Martis
Project Leader
Alfrida Martis (Alfie) is an Afro-Bonairian writer, public speaker and community organizer. She has been part of the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) team at the University of Amsterdam since April 2018, as a researcher and educator, and a project leader for the Homework Hub. She also teaches and coordinates workshops with her colleague Janissa Jacobs, while advising on inclusive pedagogies and diversity literacy. She holds a BA degree in Media & Culture Studies, and an MA degree in New Media & Digital Culture, both from the University of Amsterdam.
read more

Janissa Jacobs (she/her)
Project Leader and Management Assistant
Janissa joined the CDO team in August 2019 as management assistant to Anne de Graaf. Her tasks include strategic advice, administrative activities, facilitating workshops, and providing the Diversity Team with logistics and planning support. In her role, she co-facilitates tailored diversity workshops with Alfrida Martis for UvA students and staff. Prior to this, she specialized in business development and strategy at a global leadership advisory firm.read more

Meltem Halaceli
Project Leader
Meltem Halaceli, MA, joined the CDO team in the summer of 2020 as project leader and educator. She coordinates the online mentoring program: Meet Your Mentor for students with an ethnic minority background and/or first generation students. In this unique mentoring program Meltem matches Master students and third year students with an ethnic minority background and/or first generation background with professionals from the private and public sector. The main aim of MyM is to support students in their transition to the job market. Meet your Mentor trains professionals in diversity and inclusion in the context on the Dutch job market as well. read more

Raisa Sambo
Project Leader
Raisa has been part of the CDO team since December 2020, where she coordinates projects such as the Academic Diversity Program (ADP) mentoring program, the Grassroots Funds, Diversity & Inclusion Community lunches and the Get Ready Summer Program. Raisa believes in creating an inclusive society – a society for everyone – for people with different beliefs (or no beliefs), opposing ideologies, from different socio-economic positions, with diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions, talent or limitations. read more

Sahar Afzal
Policy Officer
Sahar has been working with the CDO team since February 2021. Her task as Policy officer/researcher includes researching and developing policy on diversity, inclusion, and social safety. Coming from a multicultural background, Sahar is able to understand the need for an intersectional understanding within educational institutions and is, therefore, able to draft policy accordingly. read more

Thea van Schoot
Sr. Policy Advisor
Thea will be helping in policy design, incorporating diversity policy within the UvA structures. At the moment, she is focusing on breaking the glass ceiling, both within faculties and from a centralized approach.

Sarina Nooitgedacht
Student Assistant
Sarina joined the CDO team in April 2021 as a student assistant. Her main role is to support the CDO Team’s new initiative called the Homework Hub by increasing student involvement with community-based organisations. Together with the CDO Team, she seeks to expand the Homework Hub’s reach and presence on campus and its surrounding communities. In addition, she assists the team by performing administrative tasks. read more
Sarina has her Bachelor’s in Sociology and will obtain her Master’s in International Relations at the UvA. She plans to pursue a career in education. During the majority of her studies Sarina worked at a marketing software company and did an internship at the Dutch Consulate-General in Cape Town. In her free time Sarina volunteers at her local church as a youth leader.

Jennifer Aardema
Communication Officer
Jennifer has been part of the CDO team since June 2021 as a communication officer. Her job is to translate the work of the CDO team into powerful stories that inspire, create impact and incite action. She is an advocate for inclusive communication and valuating the importance of words and the impact they have. Inclusive communication is free from language that perpetuates stereotypes, negative expectations or limitations. By adapting the language, it becomes possible to involve an entire audience more fully and inspire them to contribute more confidently. read more