Dr. Belinda Higgs Hyppolite is an empathetic leader, entrepreneur, builder, cultivator, innovator, bestselling author, facilitator, educational and mental health consultant, and creator. In her 28-year career in higher education, she served in various leadership roles at multiple higher education institutions. Dr. Higgs Hyppolite has spent her career focused on increasing access to higher education and decreasing barriers to success for faculty, staff, students, and local communities. Her commitment to advancing access, belonging, inclusion, and social justice in higher education brought her to work in the academy. Dr. Higgs Hyppolite has supported and advocated for many student populations, including low-income, first generation, foster care, religious and non-religious, DACA, Temporary Protective Status students, veterans, and homeless students. She also advocated for students in fraternity and sorority organizations, multicultural organizations, and students in Trio programs. She has facilitated teaching circles and symposiums to help promote universal design and more inclusive classroom spaces. She serves as a mentor to many but has a strong infinity to serving and guiding women leaders.
Throughout her career, Dr. Higgs Hyppolite has passionately advocated for the voiceless through her work in diversity education and oppression reduction. As an advocate and educator, she believes that access to education is a right, not a privilege. Persevering in her journey to promote the success of faculty, staff, and students, Dr. Hyppolite is proud to serve as the Vice President for Access and Opportunity and the Associate Provost for First Generation Initiatives at the University of Oklahoma. She is the wife to James Hyppolite and the proud mother to Sarah, Brandon, Zahara, and one fur baby, Pepper.
