WILLIAMSPORT — An extension educator known for her contributions to the wine industry in Pennsylvania and beyond was denied promotion for a myriad of reasons unrelated to any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or speech issues, Penn State says.

The university Friday responded to the suit in U.S. Middle District Court by Molly Kelly who claims she was twice denied promotion because she failed to demonstrate sufficient ideological commitment to the university’s “DEI orthodoxy.”

She made the allegation in a complaint she filed in February against the Penn State Extension School, university president Neeli Bendapudi and Jeffrey Hyde, associate dean and director of Penn State Extension.

Kelly accuses the university of having prescribed beliefs on matters of diversity and social policy and penalizing her by not promoting her to extension educator of enology for refusing to confess her faith to them.

The university cites legal reasons and contends her claims lack merit as reasons the civil action should be dismissed.

If the court declines to do so, Penn State says it should dismiss claims against the extension school because it is not a legal entity capable of being sued and against Bendapudi for lack of involvement in Kelly’s allegations.

The Penn State response details reasons why Kelly was twice denied promotion and notes civil rights and diversity core competence are among 11 guidelines used in the process.

Kelly chose to sue rather than look inward and focus on how she might obtain her promotion the next time around, university contends.

It notes Kelly, an enology extension educator since 2018 and a member of the grape and wine team, remains in good standing.

Kelly, a Lycoming County resident, is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress and violations of her constitutional rights.

She also wants the court to declare:

— Denial of her promotion based on DEI criteria violated her rights under the First and Fourth Amendments.

— As unconstitutional Penn State’s promotion criteria insofar as it requires faculty to express ideological commitment to DEI principles and describe “what they have learned” from diversity training.