University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment assistant dean and director of the Office of Diversity, Quentin Tyler, was recently named a Game Changer by Workforce Magazine.

The human resources publication annually gives the Game Changer awards to “high-potential young professionals under age 40, who are pushing the human resources field forward with innovative people-management practices.”

For Tyler, diversity is a way of life, but not always something that is easy to create or to sustain. Workforce Magazine said Tyler’s efforts to strengthen campus diversity have led to the UK Cooperative Extension Service employing the highest number of women and minorities to date.

At just 35 years old, Tyler has helped recruit, retain and develop a diverse faculty, staff and student population and has been part of the hiring process for nearly 600 people since 2005.

"This award not only recognizes the achievements that we have made as a college and university, but also confirms that we are moving along the right path as a land-grant institution that believes in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment that allows our faculty, staff and students to reach successful outcomes,” Tyler said.

Workforce Magazine said Tyler is focused on building a diverse pipeline. During his tenure, the university’s summer intern program has offered leadership to an increasingly diverse young cohort. Tyler has created a diversity fellowship for graduate students and helped build cultural awareness workshops, a youth development high school program and conference to introduce the next diverse generation of students to college life.

The magazine will feature Tyler and other game changers in its August issue.