Grace Karmiol Named Director of University of Maryland’s Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct

The University of Maryland has named Grace Karmiol, J.D. as its new Title IX Coordinator and Director for the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct (OCRSM). In this role, she will work in collaboration with other units around campus to foster a learning and working environment free from all forms of discrimination and harassment, including sexual misconduct. She will officially assume the role on March 11.

“Grace brings a great deal of experience and expertise to this position,” said Michael Poterala, vice president and general counsel for the university. “She will be instrumental in continuing the university’s work to address discrimination and sexual misconduct.”

In this dual role as Director of OCRSM and Title IX Coordinator, she will manage the administration of the University of Maryland’s non-discrimination and sexual misconduct policies and procedures. She will also oversee and collaborate on critical campus projects, which includes implementing processes for discrimination complaints, developing campus-wide sexual misconduct prevention and education programs, and producing the annual report on student sexual misconduct and the Student Environment and Experiences Survey.

“I look forward to joining the Maryland community and immediately partnering with stakeholders, as our office continues to be accessible and responsive to the needs of our students, faculty and staff,” said Karmiol. “I am excited about continuing my work on prevention, addressing issues of sexual harassment, sexual violence and discrimination, and conducting fair, impartial and equitable investigations.”

Karmiol was previously at Widener University where she served as Director of Employee Relations and Title IX Coordinator for five years. At Widener she spearheaded the launch of the Title IX office, creating Title IX policies and procedures and the Title IX website for the university. She also oversaw investigations, created campuswide bystander intervention trainings and collaborated with faculty to incorporate prevention messages into curriculum.

Prior to her work at Widener, Karmiol worked for 10 years as an attorney for US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and provided expertise on Title IX and employee relations topics as a consultant. She held similar roles at Oberlin College and Conservatory and American University where she earned her J.D. She also holds a B.A. from Syracuse University.