Texas A&M’s student affairs director recently solicited award nominations that included a category for “Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice” for a group with a documented history of attempting to rebrand leftwing ideology using less controversial terminology.
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) has heavily promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts and attempted to repackage them. Dr. Darby Roberts, Texas A&M’s director of student affairs, serves on the board of NASPA.
According to records obtained via a public information request, Roberts sent an email on July 30, 2026 with the subject line “NASPA Excellence Awards: Nominations Open” to members of her department.
Roberts’ email included several categories for awards, including one titled “Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice, and related.”
As reported in June, NASPA held a conference in Austin that heavily promoted DEI concepts. This included panel discussions that explicitly drew upon “equity” and “inclusiveness,” alongside similar, though less politically charged, terminology such as “belonging” and “culturally relevant.”
Roberts does not appear to have attended that conference, but she did attend a series of other events for the group during 2025 and 2026.
Roberts reports to Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Kibler. Kibler reports directly to TAMU President Susan Ballabina. Ballabina reports to the Board of Regents.
Texas A&M University is a component of the Texas A&M University System. The Texas A&M System is overseen by a Board of Regents that is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Robert Albritton of Fort Worth is the current board chair.
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