By Kolby R. LaMarche

Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak this morning unveiled the selection of Dr. Kelli Perkins as the incoming Director of the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB). The announcement, delivered at a midday press conference, signals that interim REIB Director Christian Berry will transition leadership of the $250,000 office to Dr. Kelli Perkins.

Mulvaney-Stanak framed the appointment as a pivotal step in the REIB’s maturation. Established in 2019 amid heightened calls for systemic change following national reckonings on racial injustice, the office has evolved from a nascent advisory body into a cornerstone of municipal policy. “Dr. Perkins brings a wealth of expertise that will propel us forward,” the mayor stated. 

This comes at a juncture when local governments nationwide are fortifying, or rolling back, DEI programs against potential threats from Washington.

A seasoned educator and advocate with two decades in the trenches of diversity, equity, and inclusion work, Perkins most recently helmed human resources and JEDI—Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—operations at Vital Communities, a White River Junction-based nonprofit dedicated to regional collaboration in the Upper Valley. 

There, she spearheaded training programs that bridged administrative efficiency with “cultural competency”, addressing hiring biases. She received her Doctor of Education from Northeastern University, where her dissertation likely delved into transformative leadership in diverse institutions, and a Master of Science in Adult Education from North Carolina A&T State University.

Perkins, whose career has spanned K-12 administration, higher education consulting, and nonprofit strategy, expressed her want to urgently help Burlington “make sense of the dark,” she said. “It’s been crisis, after crisis, after crisis…things are swelling.” 

The transition follows a period of interim stewardship by Christian Berry, whose tenure since early 2025 stabilized the office after leadership shifts. Berry’s initiatives included town halls that refined REIB’s core objectives—equity audits, anti-bias workshops, and inclusive budgeting—while navigating budget constraints in a post-pandemic fiscal landscape. 

Central District Progressive Councilor Melo Grant, a vocal REIB proponent, lauded Berry’s foundational efforts. “I appreciate her work in bringing stability..and her vision,” Grant said. She continued, saying Perkin’s appointment could help Burlingtonians be “less afraid” of equity initiatives, “people are afraid of this work right now, we hear it, we see it on the national level.” 

City Council President and Democrat Ben Traverse stressed the timeliness of the hire, “I think right now, when DEI..initiatives are again under attack at the federal level it is vitally important that [we] continue to show our strong support for the department’s mission,” Traverse said. “The best way to show that support is to support the mayor’s appointment.”

Perkins’ formal entry awaits City Council approval on September 29, a procedural nod in Burlington’s charter-driven governance. Pending her endorsement, she’ll assume duties on October 6, overlapping briefly with Berry to ensure a seamless handover. Perkins is expected to make an annual salary of ~$130,000.