Duke Hires Inaugural Director of Faculty Relations

Sumetrice Porter has been named to a newly created role and will serve as the inaugural  Director of Faculty Relations at Duke. 

The new role will serve as a bridge between faculty members and academic leaders to ensure a fair and consistent approach to the management of faculty relations and promote an environment of fairness, dignity, and respect. 

For the last six years, Porter served as the Director of Human Resources for the Sanford School of Public Policy, where she provided strategic HR counsel, advanced efforts toward broader equity and inclusion, developed trainings for academic leaders, established departmental policies and streamlined critical HR and salary administration processes within the school. 

“The Director of Faculty Relations will be a wonderful resource, able to advise faculty members about university resources and processes, and will develop materials to train departmental academic leaders and HR representatives on faculty matters and related policies and procedures," said Provost Alec D. Gallimore. "I congratulate Sumetrice Porter and look forward to working with her in this new capacity."

Porter has served in various roles during her nearly two decades at Duke, including HR Representative in Staff & Labor Relations and HR Manager in the Patient Revenue Management Organization within Duke University Health System.

“What I love about my role in Human Resources is having the ability to support people during their time of need,” Porter said. “It’s really fulfilling to be a resource to help someone successfully navigate through an issue or challenge they may be having.” 

This new role will report to Antwan Lofton, Vice President of Human Resources, and work closely with the provost, deans, and other academic leaders. 

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sumetrice for many years,” Lofton said. “She knows Duke well and has experience working in all aspects of the human resources lifecycle. She brings the knowledge and professional expertise this new role requires to foster a positive and supportive environment for our faculty.”

Porter, a native of Hillsborough, N.C., earned her Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management from UNC-Charlotte and her BA in Political Science/Public Administration from Elon University. She has also earned her Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) credentials from the Society of Human Resources Management.  Porter will begin her new role on Nov. 6. 

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