Georgetown appointed Lionell Daggs III as the new director of the LGBTQ Resource Center. Daggs brings a decade of experience in Jesuit higher education, most recently as the associate director of racial justice initiatives at the university’s Center for Social Justice (CSJ).
At the LGBTQ Resource Center, Daggs will lead the center’s mission to provide resources, outreach, advocacy and programming for Georgetown’s LGBTQ community.
The center opened in 2008 and was the first of its kind at a Catholic, Jesuit institution in the U.S. It offers education, programming and support services to Georgetown students, staff, faculty and alumni of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Rooted in Georgetown’s values, the center works to create a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQ community members.
“We are thrilled to welcome a familiar face to lead the LGBTQ Resource Center,” said Eleanor Daugherty, Georgetown’s vice president for student affairs. “Lionell’s work is essential as we continue to build a community that welcomes and supports all students.”
Daggs’ own Jesuit education has played a formative role in shaping his career which has focused on advocating for and empowering students.
Daggs first discovered the Jesuits when he attended the Jesuit High School of New Orleans. He then moved west to attend the University of San Francisco, another Jesuit institution. Daggs worked for over six years at his alma mater, as a program assistant and then as an assistant director for the Cultural Centers, which includes both the Gender and Sexuality Center and Intercultural Center.
In this role, he helped create identity-based community meetup spaces, organized events for the university’s LGBTQ community, and established a gender-affirming clothing closet, the first of its kind at a Jesuit institution. Daggs also organized the annual Women of Color Leadership Conference, which centers the experiences of women of color and supports them in building their leadership capacity.
In 2021, Daggs joined CSJ eager to continue his work in Jesuit education while being immersed in Washington, DC’s vibrant community.
In his role at CSJ, Daggs pioneered Critical Conversations on Race, a 12-week racial literacy dialogue series designed for CSJ student leaders.
Daggs also works on Teach Dr. King’s Speech, an annual program part of the Let Freedom Ring! Initiative in which Georgetown community members read and reflect on one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches.
Today, Daggs keeps a memento of his Jesuit education everywhere he goes: a medallion from his high school graduation on his keys. Engraved on the golden surface is a portrait of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam, which means “for the greater glory of God.”
“When experiencing challenging moments, it [the motto] provides a helpful grounding,” he said. “Caring for the whole person, thinking about the value of being in a diverse community — all of those things ground my work and provide space when we need to think more deeply about what we do and how we do it.”
Learn more about Daggs and his work in higher education, his goals as the new director of the LGBTQ Resource Center, and how he prioritizes joy.
Meet Lionell Daggs III
What motivated you to pursue a career in higher education?
I moved into higher education in part because one of the main challenges I experienced was I didn’t see people who shared my salient identities in leadership roles. I found mentors who were queer women and found mentors who were straight men of color, but I struggled to find mentors who shared all of the intersecting identities I had. I wanted to become that mentor for students that I struggled to find during my higher education experience.
Why did you want to work at Georgetown?
I have always deeply connected with the Jesuit mission and values. There are also a lot of policy decisions that are made in our nation’s capital that permeate across the country and impact so many different communities. Those are the two main factors that brought me to Georgetown.
What drew you to the Jesuit mission?
I grew up Southern Baptist, but I wouldn’t say I’m an extremely religious person. I connect so deeply with the Jesuit mission and values because of its foundation in working for and with others, ultimately being in service to others. I think it influences me profoundly and always impacts how I approach my work.
Why did you want to take this role at the LGBTQ Resource Center?
One of the things I value is supporting students with building their advocacy skills. I think LGBTQ students in particular can benefit from that. I’ve heard from a lot of students about the day-to-day challenges that they navigate, and I want to be a part of their support network. I think this role will provide me the opportunity to be an advocate for staff, faculty and students across campus and build a more inclusive campus culture.
What goals do you have for the LGBTQ Center?
Mentorship is important to me. One of the reasons I’m in the role I’m in today is because of the mentors I’ve had, so one of the goals I have is to build out a mentorship program for LGBTQ students.
We have an amazing alumni network at Georgetown and I would love to tap into that network more. One of my goals is to create a series called Out in the Workplace where students can engage with LGBTQ Georgetown alumni and learn how they navigate their careers as LGBTQ professionals.
One of my other goals is to expand the LGBTQ Center’s social media reach. I learned in the past few years that how students engage is continually shifting. Students are engaging online more and more, and I think it’s important to meet them where they are while still providing opportunities for in-person engagement. Moving into this role, that’s something I’m interested in expanding, whether it’s creating more video content or engaging folks more virtually, I think there’s a significant opportunity to expand the reach of the center.
Why is the work of the LGBTQ Center important to you?
The four years of college are a unique experience for all students. For some students, it’s their first time away from home. You’re learning new things that probably challenge ideas that you were taught growing up. You’re also exploring and deciding your life’s vocation.
That’s where I think this work is really important. There is the curricular aspect to the college experience where students are working towards fulfilling their degree requirements. There is also the co-curricular experience which I think is equally important because that is where students are building leadership and advocacy skills while figuring out who they are and how they want to exist in the world. They are also building friendships that eventually become their support network after graduation.
What do you want students to know about you?
My central values are authenticity, joy, rest, growth and adaptability. Those are central to who I am. I always want to extend to folks the invitation to strive toward those values.
We live in a world that can be challenging sometimes, so I think joy is always a central value for me. How are we creating space for laughter, for connection, for community? How are we getting to the point of being our most authentic selves in a real and honest way? How are we adapting, growing and shifting in this ever-changing world?
Something I share with students all the time is that I am comfortable saying, ‘I don’t know. Let’s figure this out together.’ That’s something I want students to understand about me. I’m both here as a sounding board and for support, and I’m also here to support them in finding connection, community and solutions.
