Dr. Dottie Morris
2026 Black New England Conference Citizen of the Year
For more than two decades, Dr. Dottie Morris has been a steady and influential force for equity, education, and social justice in New Hampshire and beyond. An educator, psychologist, mentor, community leader, and advocate, she has built a career around a deceptively simple but powerful idea: institutions and communities are stronger when every person is seen, heard, valued, and given the opportunity to thrive.
Dr. Morris currently serves as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SUNY Plattsburgh, where she brings decades of experience in higher education, student success, institutional leadership, and community engagement to this new chapter of her career.
Her impact in New Hampshire, however, runs deep.
For many years, Dr. Morris was a defining presence at Keene State College, where she served in senior leadership and helped guide the institution’s work around equity, inclusion, multiculturalism, and social justice. Her influence extended far beyond administration. Throughout her career, she has worked directly with students as a counselor, teacher, academic adviser, and mentor—roles that reflect her enduring commitment not simply to changing institutions, but to changing lives.
Her leadership has also reached well beyond the college campus. Dr. Morris has served as Chair of the Board of the ACLU of New Hampshire, as a Carsey Fellow with New Hampshire Listens, and on the Governor's Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion. She was also called upon to help lead the City of Keene’s work on racial justice and community safety. Today, she continues her statewide service as a member of the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Before Keene State, Dr. Morris held leadership and counseling positions at the School for International Training, Antioch University New England, and Colorado State University. Across these varied roles, one thread has remained constant: a willingness to enter difficult conversations, challenge inequity, build understanding, and help people and institutions imagine something better.
Her contributions have earned recognition across the state, including being named a YWCA New Hampshire Hero for Justice and receiving recognition from New Hampshire’s Martin Luther King Coalition for her commitment to social justice.
Yet Dr. Morris's legacy cannot be measured by titles, boards, or awards alone. It is found in the students she has encouraged, the leaders she has mentored, the institutions she has challenged to live more fully into their values, and the communities she has helped move from conversation toward action.
At a moment when questions of belonging, representation, and institutional responsibility remain urgent, Dr. Morris has demonstrated what sustained leadership looks like: principled, courageous, compassionate, and deeply rooted in community.
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire is proud to honor Dr. Dottie Morris as the 2026 Black New England Conference Citizen of the Year, recognizing a remarkable career of service and a legacy that continues to shape New Hampshire and beyond.