A senior Michigan State University official has accused a top administrator of racial and sexual discrimination, alleging a pattern of harassment, retaliation and a hostile work environment within the university’s leadership.Revelations of the intent to act come shortly after a former MSU official filed an intent to sue the university for what she alleges was retaliation in reporting sexual harassment and discrimination.
Stephanie Anthony, director of the Office of College Access Initiatives and advisor to MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz on relationship violence and sexual misconduct, filed a notice of intent on May 22 with the Michigan Court of Claims. In it, she alleges that Vice Provost for University Outreach and Engagement Kwesi Brookins repeatedly violated state and federal civil rights laws by discriminating against her and subjecting her to a hostile work environment.
The eight-page filing outlines several incidents that Anthony says amount to ongoing discrimination and retaliation by Brookins.
Anthony said her discomfort with Brookins began in summer 2022, when he interviewed for the vice provost position while she was serving on the search committee. During their first meeting on July 26, 2022, over lunch, she says Brookins made a comment that left her uneasy.
According to the filing, Brookins told Anthony within minutes of meeting that if he were not a Black man, he would have already become president of Michigan State. Anthony said the comment was “particularly uncomfortable” for her as a Black woman.
Despite the interaction, the committee advanced Brookins for consideration, and he was later offered the position by then-interim President Teresa Woodruff. He began his role at MSU in January 2023, around the time Anthony began considering her current position — a move Brookins was reportedly unaware of.
Following the Feb. 13, 2023 campus shooting, Anthony’s transition into her presidential advisor role was paused.
By April 2023, discussions resumed, and Anthony was formally offered the position, which she accepted.
While attending an out-of-state conference, MSU Chief of Staff Michael Zieg attempted to contact Brookins regarding Anthony’s new role. According to the filing, Brookins then confronted Anthony and pressured her to give up the position, saying, “No, you are my superstar.”
Later at the same conference, Anthony again attempted to discuss her new role with Brookins. According to the filing, he initially responded, “No, I’m busy,” but then agreed to speak — sitting with his legs spread and his hands on his groin, which made Anthony feel uncomfortable.
The filing also states that Brookins repeatedly delayed Anthony’s transition by withholding necessary paperwork.
After assuming her new role, Anthony says Brookins asked her to perform tasks outside her job description, including personal errands. When she requested additional support, Brookins allegedly laughed and said, “I told you,” and that he “knew this would happen,” according to the filing.
Anthony also alleges that Brookins isolated her from peers and repeatedly pressured her to hand over a program she had developed on her own time for potential use by the Lansing School District. The district had offered to purchase the program and pay her in advance for two years. According to the filing, Brookins blocked the compensation — violating MSU’s Outside Work for Pay policy — and demanded access to the program, which she began developing a year before his arrival at MSU.
Anthony claims Brookins later involved Dr. Lee June — then-advisor to MSU’s Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association and a personal mentor to Brookins — in efforts to harass and discriminate against her. She alleges that Brookins and June offered support and mentorship to male staff while excluding her and worked together to undermine her leadership and the credibility of her program.
By January 2024, Anthony — a stroke survivor — developed anxiety and insomnia, and for the first time in her life, was prescribed anti-anxiety medication to manage the toll of the ongoing stress on her health.
In February 2024, Anthony met with then-interim President Teresa Woodruff and Dr. Carrie Moylan, an associate professor and fellow presidential advisor, to report concerns of sex- and race-based discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Woodruff referred her to Zieg, who later confirmed that funds allocated to support her dual roles had been diverted by Brookins, according to the filing.
By March 2024, the alleged harassment escalated. The filing claims Zieg informed Brookins that Anthony had reported him to Woodruff. When Anthony later told Brookins the diverted funds were intended to support her roles, he allegedly laughed and said he would continue using the money as he saw fit.
According to the filing, Brookins repeatedly said it was “his money” and insisted he could use it however he wanted.
In July 2024, Anthony filed a complaint with MSU’s Office of Civil Rights’ Investigation Support and Resolution (ISR) unit, citing continued harassment, discrimination and retaliation by Brookins. ISR opened an investigation in September 2024, the same month Anthony submitted a second complaint. During that period, Brookins allegedly continued to sabotage her work — including refusing to accept grant funding tied to an award Anthony earned through her RVSM role. By August, she was forced to begin intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act due to the toll on her health.
As of May 22, ISR’s investigation into Brookins remains ongoing. According to the filing, the university also declined to temporarily reassign Anthony to a different supervisor or move her into the full scope of her presidential advisor role while the complaints were under review.
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During President Kevin Guskiewicz’s Spartan Bus Tour in October 2024, Brookins allegedly touched Anthony inappropriately — rubbing and bumping into her body — and repeatedly stared at her while staying within her line of sight, according to the filing.
Towards the end of the filing it states that due to the ongoing about and retaliations by Brookins and his staff and MSU’s failure to protect her from harassment and to appropriately respond to her complaints, Anthony has suffered among other things “mental, psychological, and emotional distress; substantial physical pain and suffering, including enduring surgeries and health devastation because of the toll this has taken on her physical health; loss of sleep; pain and humiliation; loss of relationships; economic loss; and damage to her professional reputation.”
MSU spokesperson Mark Bullion told The State News the university does not comment on pending litigation.
In an email to The State News, Anthony’s attorney Liz Abdnour said the notice was filed to comply with legal deadlines and preserve Anthony’s claims. “At this time, we are trying to resolve the matter directly with the university,” she said.
