Associate Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dania brings a wealth of experience in diversity, leadership and law. Most recently, as Deputy Chief Diversity Officer at William & Mary, she has led the creation and implementation of diversity-related training for faculty and staff, accountability measures for diversity action plans across campus, and a campuswide diversity strategic plan. Her knowledge and expertise will be extremely valuable to UC Merced as we continue to develop our plans and practices around diversity and inclusion. You can read more about Dania, her background and her role on our website .

 

Among other responsibilities, Dania will work with campus stakeholders to create a campus vision and strategic plan focused on commitments to faculty, staff, and student diversity, the inclusion of diverse peoples and perspectives in all aspects of campus life, and fair and equitable treatment for all members of our campus community.

 

She will guide the implementation of this plan and design appropriate structures of accountability, and she will also provide leadership for campus diversity hiring and retention through the identification and implementation of best practices in this area. She will work closely with various campus groups that have a focus on campus climate and diversity issues, and she will be responsible for securing external funding for campus diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

 

During the search process, we reached out to the campus community for your input regarding the skill set and other attributes considered most critical in this vital role. I want to extend my appreciation to the faculty, students and staff who took part in this process. In particular, I would like to thank the search advisory committee, which was co-chaired by Vice Provost and Graduate Dean Marjorie Zatz and Professor and Associate Vice Provost for the Faculty Zulema Valdez. The advisory committee included:

 

 

Please join me in welcoming Dania to UC Merced and wishing her well in this new role.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dorothy Leland

Chancellor