Lindsay R. Masters, director of academic support and engagement at Daemen University, is one of 19 honorees of Buffalo Business First’s 2023 Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness (IDEA) Awards, now in its fourth year.
The awards honor those who are defenders of diversity and champions of inclusion within their communities and workplaces. This is the third consecutive year a Daemen employee has won an IDEA award.
“My mission has always been to provide equitable access to higher education for all students,” said Masters. “It is an honor to be recognized for my lifelong passion. I am proud to exemplify what it means to be an active proponent for social justice, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. As a queer and neurodivergent person, I am thrilled to represent my communities.”
In her role at Daemen, Masters oversees the assistance students receive outside of their classes. This may include help with class content, test anxiety, and study strategies.
Masters also encourages self compassion and acceptance of self.
“When working towards my career, I wanted to be the person that I needed when I was in school,” said Masters. “If students do not feel like they belong, they cannot be successful academically. If they come into my office for test anxiety, we can also peel apart the layers and get to the bottom of why they are feeling this way to begin with.”
At Daemen, Masters also serves as the Pride Alliance staff advisor on campus.
“Pride Alliance brought the first gender-neutral pronoun workshop to campus. We also offer training to faculty and staff and participate in fundraising events to help LGBTQ homelessness as well as transgender support groups.”
In addition, Masters is the chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Council on campus.
“I have been involved in every iteration of a diversity committee on this campus since 2013 when I started at Daemen,” said Masters. “Within that amount of time, I was part of the group that drafted our diversity mission statement as well as our five-year diversity strategic plan.”