William Acree, professor of Spanish in Arts & Sciences, has been appointed interim co-director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2) at Washington University in St. Louis. Acree has served as a CRE2 associate director since Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced the center’s founding in 2019.
“Billy Acree is an ideal partner to serve in this new role. He has been a principal architect of the center’s design and mission from the very beginning, with the Commission Task Force’s work, and was a guiding force in the development of CRE2’s pillars,” said Adrienne Davis, founding director of CRE2.
Acree said he is thrilled to join co-director Hedwig Lee, professor of sociology in Arts & Sciences, in continuing to provide dynamic opportunities for researchers on the Danforth and Medical campuses. In its inaugural year, the center created the Innovation Space to welcome cutting-edge, transdisciplinary scholarship on race, ethnicity and equity; hosted the School of Medicine-CRE2 Grand Rounds lectures; and launched an Arts & Culture initiative along with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and The Sheldon.
“I am eager to work with the amazing CRE2 leadership team to expand the ways we support pivotal research on some of the most pressing issues of our time; to amplify our engagements with the St. Louis region and beyond; and to contribute to making WashU the world’s leader in research on race, ethnicity and equity,” Acree said.
