Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger today announced that Dina Suggs, a Kingston resident and longtime public servant, will assume the role of Chief Diversity Officer effective August 4. Suggs succeeds Esi Lewis, who will be departing County government to focus full-time on her role as Executive Director of the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for History and Culture in New Paltz. Lewis has served as Chief Diversity Officer since January 2023, when the position was elevated to the Executive Office.
“Esi has played a vital role in advancing equity and inclusion across County government,” said County Executive Jen Metzger. “Her leadership helped lay a strong foundation for this work, and I’m deeply grateful for her service. I’m thrilled to welcome Dina Suggs to the team — her extensive experience in public diplomacy, community engagement, and cultural programming will be a tremendous asset to Ulster County.”
Lewis is a New Paltz native, attorney, and has served on the New Paltz Town Board since 2022. She has served as an educator, advocate, criminal and family court litigator, and founded the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center in honor of her mother, a community leader, groundbreaking educator and longstanding chair of the Black Studies Department at SUNY New Paltz.
“I am proud of increasing language justice, making all civil service exams free, advancing inclusive hiring, and bringing a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to spaces where it had long been absent. I am grateful to have served Ulster County in this capacity under Jen Metzger’s solid, pioneering leadership,” said Esi Lewis. “I look forward to continuing the work of equity and inclusion through education and culture with the MWL Center. I profoundly appreciate County Executive Metzger for her support and vision.”
Incoming Chief Diversity Officer Dina Suggs brings more than two decades of experience in government, nonprofit, and media sectors. Most recently, she served as Senior Program Specialist at the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, where she oversaw hundreds of projects connecting global leaders to U.S. communities. She previously served as Founding Director of the Office of Analytics at the State Department’s Bureau of Global Public Affairs, and as Deputy Publisher of the St. Louis American newspaper, a leading publication serving the African American community.
Suggs is the Vice President of the St. Louis American Foundation, which supports promising students and independent journalism. She began her international career with the team that launched the Discovery Channel in Latin America and later led consumer research and affiliate relations for Discovery Networks. She is a graduate of Milton Academy, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to English, she speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
“I am honored, humbled, and thrilled to join County Executive Metzger’s outstanding team and to serve my Ulster County community,” said Dina Suggs. “I am truly fortunate to receive the baton from outgoing Chief Diversity Officer, the wonderful Esi Lewis, and look forward to continuing the work with County Executive Metzger and her team to ensure that Ulster County is a place where all community members can thrive.”
In her role at the State Department, Suggs connected international visitors to experts in cities across the U.S., including Kingston, to exchange best practices on issues such as disability inclusion, anti-trafficking, climate resilience, LGBTQ+ rights, and arts for social change.
Suggs is active in Kingston’s civic and arts communities, serving as a Kingston Arts Commissioner, a member of the Kingston Democratic Committee, and on the Kingston Land Trust’s Land in Black Hands Steering Committee.
