Ceola Curley III grew up traveling the world, including two tours in Europe as his father served in the military. Showing an early interest as an undergraduate at Rice, he worked with underrepresented minority students pursuing their Ph.D. in the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP program). As a result, Ceola has over 20 years of experience with DEI initiatives.

While working in Rice’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion in 2020, Ceola was promoted to Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center. His continued dedication to the center and Rice University students garnered a promotion to Associate Director in 2023. He is passionate about the work of the center and connecting with students. His passion is giving a voice to students who feel invisible.

Ceola furthered his education by attending Texas A&M University International. In 2019, he received a Master’s of Science degree in curriculum education. His graduate research focused on multicultural centers in higher education. Ceola has been married to his wife Dr. Brita Curley since 2001. He is also passionate about working with the audio visual ministry at his church.