Dr. Irungu serves as the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Utah State University (USU). Her role includes leading the efforts in promoting best practices in
in inclusiveness, equity, and diversity across USU campuses statewide. As the inaugural VP for this role, she is also overseeing the establishment of the Division of DEI and leading the implementation of the DEI framework that will guide organizational and cultural change in matters of access, recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff, community partnerships and success for all members of the university community.

Before joining USU in July 2022, Dr. Irungu was at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman for five years where she served in different positions. Most recently she was the Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence providing strategic leadership in recruitment of diverse faculty, education and training for faculty search committees, and academic leadership; college-level consultation on issues related to classroom climate, inclusive curriculum, and pedagogies; academic freedom and other related issues. At OU, she also served for 18 months as the interim Vice President for DEI, establishing the first ever DEI office and spearheading the implementation of Phase 1 of the DEI strategic plan. She also served as the Director of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies and the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) bringing together over 5,000 DEI and social justice professionals from across the US, Canada, and Europe each year. She was also co-founder of the Oklahoma Higher Education Network.

Before joining OU, Dr. Irungu served for seven years in different capacities at the University of Oregon. She was an Assistant Vice President in the Division of Equity & Inclusion and for several years directed the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence where she provided leadership for a team of academic advisors and retention specialists for over 6,000 students from historically underrepresented, underserved, and minoritized populations.  

Prior to that, Dr. Irungu held different roles at the University of Kansas for twelve years- a faculty member in the Department of African & African American Studies, Associate Director for the federally funded Kansas African Studies Center, Program Director in the Office of International Programs, and other professional roles.

Dr. Irungu started her career as an educator over 37 years ago in her home country of Kenya where she was a high school teacher and principal. As a first-generation college student, she believes in the transformative power of education and integrates these ideals into her day-to-day work.

Dr. Irungu received her doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas. Her Bachelor’s in Education ( majors in Kiswahili, Philosophy & Religious Studies) is from Kenyatta University. Dr. Irungu serves as a board member in several non-profit organizations and is also the Co-founder of Renewed Hope International, an organization that has been providing secondary education and community service grants in Kenya for almost 20 years.