Tina Chapman Dacosta

Tina Chapman DaCosta has been called a "renaissance woman." She has worked as a diversity consultant, college professor, actor, filmmaker and computer engineer. Tina is the creator and Director of Diversity Theater at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. RIT Diversity Theater is a college-wide program for RIT's 23,000 faculty, staff and students from across 100 nations. The program presents interactive learning programs using film and theatre to advance equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) education and community building. Tina has worked as a diversity consultant in EDI since 1998. Her specialties are writing, directing and producing content that utilizes performance and visual arts for community building. She is a frequent conference and workshop presenter for advancing corporate and higher education EDI initiatives. As a child, Tina enjoyed acting, running, dancing, and roller skating. Her family owned and operated the Blue Goose Roller Skating Rink in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1970's-80's. Tina began her acting training as a child at the legendary Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio and performed in school and community theatre as well as commercials. Tina attended Maple Heights High School where she was captain of the Girls Track Team and the Varsity Cheerleading Squad. Tina was a member of the Honor Society, Student Council, Junior Achievement, and INROADS. Tina earned a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Animation in 2014 from RIT. Her first film (post film school) Brick By Brick, won Best Short at the San Diego Black Film Festival 2020. Written and directed by Tina and produced with RIT, this 16-minute film set in 1941 Cleveland, Ohio tells the story of Tina's father, Elza Buddy Cannaday, and his attempt to rebuild his relationship with his father as he becomes the first licensed and bonded African American contractor in Cleveland. Tina has also written a feature length script about her father's life. Her student documentary film, Remembering The Pythodd, about a legendary jazz club in Rochester, NY, was selected for the 2013 High Falls Film Festival. Tina has been a professor at RIT since 2002 in the Golisano College of Computing (GCCIS) and the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). As an assistant professor, she helped create the Network, Security, and Systems Administration Department in GCCIS and was nominated for the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching. Tina has taught film production, acting, and theatre in RIT's School of Film and Animation and CLA as a senior lecturer. Before becoming a professor, Tina worked as a Systems Engineer and Marketing Programs Manager for IBM. She was responsible for design, execution and management of the RS/6000 UNIX marketing programs for North America. Tina designed and supported local and wide area networks and taught user training programs for Fortune 500 companies and educational institutions. She was recognized with several IBM awards, the Golden Circle, Marketing Excellence, Inroads Business Advisor of the Year, and the Difference Maker Award. In addition to an MFA in Film and Animation, Tina earned degrees in Master of Science in Engineering, Product Development from RIT College of Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, minor in Computer Science from The College at Brockport, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Tina is a past member of Jack and Jill, Inc. and The Links, Inc. Tina and her husband José DaCosta are very grateful for their blended family of 11 children and grandchildren.