Speakers & Presenters

Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff - Division of Equity and Inclusion

Dr. Amber Johnson’s (they/them) work sits at the intersections of futurity, radical imagination, healing justice, research paradigms for radical change, and embodied identity negotiation. Dr. Johnson has developed a body of work that seamlessly bridges academic research, artistic expression, community praxis, and speculative design. Their contributions include theorizing Gender Futurity and Intersectional Autoethnography, advancing Transfuturism as a Black queer speculative methodology, developing Hyper(in)Visibility and Canonical Exception as theoretical frameworks, and operationalizing Radical Imagination and Radical Forgiveness as community engaged research methods. 

Executive Director - Staff Engagement, Belonging and Support in People and Culture

Lasana O. Hotep leads the Staff Engagement, Belonging, and Support team through the creation of high-quality professional learning experiences, the production and dissemination of transformative tools, strategic consultations, and the creation of substantive campus partnerships. Through this work, he emphasizes the creation of a workplace where all employees have the capacity, comfort, and agency to be their authentic selves at work every day. For over 20 years, Lasana has served as a leader in addressing issues of identity and culture in higher education. Some of Lasana’s previous administrative roles include serving as the Dean of Special Programs and Grants at Merritt College (Oakland, CA), Assistant Vice Chancellor of Equity for the Peralta Community Colleges District (Oakland, CA), Dean of Student Equity and Support Programs at Skyline College and the founding Executive Director of the Equity Institute at Skyline College (San Bruno, CA).

Human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther Party leader and former political prisoner

Fabrizio Mejia (he/him) is a transformative leader in higher education, deeply committed to equity, transformation, and justice, and currently serves as Interim Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley. In his permanent role as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Equity and Success in the Division of Equity and Inclusion, Fabrizio oversees programs such as the Basic Needs Center, Berkeley Underground Scholars, the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), the Disabled Students Program, and Equity and Inclusion STEM programs. 

Director - Educational Opportunity Program

Yuki brings over 15 years of experience in higher education to her role as Director of UC Berkeley’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). As an EOP alum, her career began on campus as a work-study Peer Academic Counselor, sparking a lifelong commitment to first-generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented students.

Interim Vice Chancellor - Division of Equity and Inclusion

Fabrizio Mejia (he/him) is a transformative leader in higher education, deeply committed to equity, transformation, and justice, and currently serves as Interim Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley. In his permanent role as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Equity and Success in the Division of Equity and Inclusion, Fabrizio oversees programs such as the Basic Needs Center, Berkeley Underground Scholars, the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), the Disabled Students Program, and Equity and Inclusion STEM programs. 

Professor, Berkeley School of Education

Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is a professor in the Berkeley School of Education. Drawing on theories of change, her research explores how Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) embrace an organizational identity for serving minoritized populations. She coined the term “servingness” which is a framework for organizing and envisioning new futures for HSIs. As an author she wrote Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities, Transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions for Equity and Justice, and The HSI Movement: Strategies Driving Change at Hispanic Serving Institutions. She also created and co-authored the workbook Transforming HSIs for Equity and Justice: A Practitioner’s Workbook and is the host of the popular podcast ¿Qué pasa, HSIs? At UC Berkeley, Dr. Garcia serves as the inaugural Faculty Director of Latinx Thriving Initiatives (LTI) and directs the Higher Education Action Research for Transformation (HEART) Lab.

Director - Native American Thriving Initiatives 

Michelle Ayazi (she/her) has worked at UC Berkeley as a study abroad adviser since 2013. She is the proud daughter of Iranian immigrants and a lifelong student of Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam. She has been trained in the practice of Tamarkoz (Sufi meditation) and has been offering guided Sufi meditation classes to the UC Berkeley campus community since 2010. Michelle has been facilitating sound baths in the Bay Area since 2020. She has attended sound healing trainings offered by Melissa Felsenstein of Inner Sounds Meditation, and Zacciah Blackburn of the Sunreed Center. 

Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director, Public Service Center 

Sandra has served as the Senior Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director of the Public Service Center since 2015. Trained as a political scientist at UC Berkeley, Sandra comes to her work having held positions in academia as tenure track faculty, as a philanthropic officer for a large foundation, and as a Board member and chair for several nonprofit organizations over the past 30 years. Through these experiences she has worked with grassroots as well as multinational organizations, across different substantive issues areas, and in the U.S, SubSaharan Africa, and Mexico on catalyzing social change.

Director of Cybersecurity Clinic, Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity

Elijah Baucom is a digital security and privacy activist positioned at the intersection of tech and humanity. As the Director of the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic (a public interest cybersecurity clinic), Elijah trains students and partners with them to support social sector organizations that are often more susceptible to ideologically based attacks. Given the current prevailing monolithic culture in cybersecurity and IT, he is intentional in making the Clinic as accessible as possible to every student on campus, regardless of area of study or tech experience. He holds dual Master's degrees in Business Administration and Telecommunication Systems Management from Murray State University. His professional experience includes IT, Business, Cybersecurity and Management Consulting; Network Engineering, Systems Administration, Solutions Architecture, & Education.

Postdoctoral Scholar in Racial Equity, Berkeley HAAS School of Business

Dr. Alexandra Figueroa (Alex) is a postdoctoral scholar in Racial Equity at the Haas School of Business. Her work focuses on how people experience inclusion or exclusion in the workplace. Alex is especially interested in reducing polarization in the workplace and helping organizations foster inclusive environments. 

Professor, Berkeley School of Education

Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is a professor in the School of Education at UC Berkeley. Her research centers on issues of equity and justice in higher education with an emphasis on understanding how Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) embrace an organizational identity for serving minoritized populations. Specifically, she explores how HSIs transform their organizational structures to create a culture that values the lived realities of people of color. She is the author of Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities and Transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions for Equity and Justice. She created and co-authored the workbook Transforming HSIs for Equity and Justice: A Practitioner’s Workbook and is the host of the popular podcast ¿Qué pasa, HSIs?.

Assistant Director of Strategy and Programs, Stanford University

Deeply passionate about expanding opportunity, access, and equity in all spaces and places, Matthew specializes in transforming organizations through strategic leadership, learning, and development. With over a decade of experience in higher education and healthcare, he is particularly invested in building the institutions of tomorrow—creating structures that make workplaces more inclusive, equitable, and adaptable in a rapidly changing world.

(Retired) Associate Vice Provost for Diversity & Engagement,  University of California

Elizabeth (Liz) Halimah has over 30 years of experience in higher education policy and management, most recently as the Associate Vice Provost and Chief Policy Advisor for Graduate, Undergraduate and Equity Affairs at the University of California. In her most recent position, Liz was the chief strategist for the UC systemwide office that provides leadership and support for efforts that advance UC equity and inclusion for faculty, students, and staff, that promote access to and successful completion of baccalaureate and graduate degrees, and that help to provide an exemplary student academic experience. Previously, Liz was the founding Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff of Equity & Inclusion at UC Berkeley, where she co-wrote and oversaw the implementation of an unprecedented campus strategic plan for equity, inclusion and diversity. Liz’s other professional interests and experience includes: data analytics and policy analysis; higher education leadership, and educational equity. Liz is a graduate of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. She was born and raised in San Francisco and currently lives in Berkeley, CA.

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UC Berkeley

Benjamin E. Hermalin serves as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost for the University of California, Berkeley. He previously served as UC Berkeley’s Vice Provost of Faculty, and he holds professorships both in the Economics Department and at the Haas School of Business, where he is the Thomas & Alison Schneider Distinguished Professor of Finance. He received his PhD from MIT in 1988, the same year he joined UC Berkeley as an assistant professor in the Department of Economics and the Haas School of Business. 

Chief Privacy Officer, Center for Long-Term Cyber Security

Lisa Ho is Chief Privacy Officer at UC Berkeley, where she leads work to fulfill campus privacy obligations and commitments, guided by the UC Statement of Privacy Values and UC Privacy Principles. Lisa was previously Academic Director of the cybersecurity master’s degree program at UC Berkeley’s School of Information, and continues to advise the UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic, which provides consultation for community organizations that are at risk of ideological targeting. In 2019, Lisa joined colleagues from the Whiteness, Privilege and Power Study Group to co-found the Dismantling Racism Study & Action Group for justice, liberation, and belonging at UC Berkeley. 

Coordinator, Disability Cultural Community Center

Ann Wai-Yee Kwong (she/her) passionately creates, implements, and evaluates innovative strategies around empowerment, education, and collaboration with marginalized communities in her current role as the Coordinator of the Disability Cultural Community (DCC) Center at UC Berkeley. Her intersectional identity and lived experience as a proud Chinese American woman, blind professional, and first-generation college student who graduated from Cal greatly guide her work and research. 

Chancellor, UC Berkeley

Rich Lyons is the 12th Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and the first undergraduate alum to serve in this role, having earned his BS in Economics from Berkeley in 1982. With decades of leadership and scholarly experience, Rich brings extensive expertise in academic innovation, institutional culture building, and public higher education advocacy. Previously, he served as Dean of Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and later led the campus-wide development of innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, helping position Berkeley as a global leader in venture-funded startups and civic enterprise creation. Before returning to Berkeley, Rich was a faculty member at Columbia University after completing his PhD in Economics at MIT.

Universal Design for Learning Consultant, Center for Teaching and Learning

Tara Mason, Ph.D., is the UDL Consultant at the Center for Teaching and Learning, providing faculty development for inclusive, accessible, and assets-based pedagogy, with a special focus on challenges for students with disabilities. Before joining UC Berkeley, she directed a special education teacher preparation program in Colorado and worked as a K-12 educational professional. 

Acting Vice Chancellor, Equity and Inclusion

Fabrizio Mejia is a transformative leader in higher education, deeply committed to equity, transformation, and justice, and currently serves as Interim Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley.  In his permanent role as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Equity and Success in the Division of Equity and Inclusion, Fabrizio oversees programs such as the Basic Needs Center, Berkeley Underground Scholars, the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), the Disabled Students Program, and Equity and Inclusion STEM programs. These initiatives and services are critical in advancing the campus' mission of promoting equity, access, and inclusion to California's diverse student population. Throughout the course of his career, Fabrizio has been instrumental in visioning and co-building sustainable infrastructure for equity, including state and national higher education models for basic needs, undocumented students, and formerly incarcerated students—impacting thousands of lives across California and the nation.

Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging & Justice, University Health Services

Tiffany Melendez is currently the Director of DEIBJ for the Department of Health & Wellbeing, within the Division of Student Affairs. She is a people-centered leader that uses a values-driven approach to help align organizational strategy, mission, and vision with healthier practices and policies. Tiffany believes strongly in the power of the “pause”, a time to ask oneself important questions, and to just be. She feels this is an important step in the process of growth and in creating intentional spaces that reflect, reimagine, and challenge the status quo. 

Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Student Affairs

As the Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief of Staff for Student Affairs, Bahar and her team guide students as they transition into, navigate through, and connect beyond their UC Berkeley college experience. Her work encompasses all parts of the student experience as she plays a divisionwide leadership role including crisis response and setting strategic direction for a number of Student Affairs units. She also represents the Vice Chancellor in a variety of campus and external settings. Prior to this role, Bahar served as Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director of the ASUC Student Union. Bahar founded and continues to co-lead the Middle East, North African, and South Asian (MENASA) staff organization at UC Berkeley, which advocates for greater visibility, representation, and inclusivity of the MENASA population on campus. From 2011 to 2014 during her doctoral studies, Bahar served as Vice President and President of the Graduate Assembly, where she championed equity and structural and policy improvements to benefit our vibrant student community.

Advising Strategy + Training Program Manager, Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Liza Schlosser-Olroyd finds immense joy in being a co-conspirator for the radiant wellbeing of all members of the campus community. Currently serving as the Interim Coordinator for the Advising Strategy + Training Program, Liza offers (virtual) weekly mindfulness meditation sessions (under “Healthy Lifestyle Programs” → “Mindfulness Mondays”) and monthly yoga classes for Berkeley’s advising and student services community and anyone else interested in joining us! In addition to her work supporting equitable access to information, resources, and professional development opportunities for advising and student services staff, Liza offers personalized coaching for runners and lifters who want to bring more joy and playfulness to their training.

Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief of Staff, Division of Equity & Inclusion

As a scholar, artist, and activist, Dr. Amber Johnson’s research and activism focus on narratives of identity, resistance, and social justice in digital media, popular media, and everyday lived experiences. As a leader, Dr. Johnson is a fierce advocate for health equity, healing justice, equitable community engagement, and radical imagination. Dr. Johnson is Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff in the Division of Equity & Inclusion at UC Berkeley.  They are also Founding Director of the Justice Fleet, a mobile social justice museum that fosters healing through art dialogue and play and co-founder of The Institute for Healing Justice and Equity, where they specialize in humanizing equity and exploring the relationship between healing justice and equity.

Academic Climate Program Director, Office of Faculty Equity & Welfare

Dr. Tracy Pascua Dea is the Academic Climate Program Director, Office for Faculty Equity & Welfare at UC Berkeley. Tracy has more than 20 years experience in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice, student success, and leadership and systems coaching. Her research and teaching focus is on student success with an emphasis on first generation and historically marginalized student populations, strengths-based institutional change, and the power of narratives for social change. Her experience as a first-generation student fuels her passion for transformational individual and organizational change. She holds a PhD in Higher Education Administration and BA in Psychology from Saint Louis University, and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. She is also a certified Organizational and Relationship Systems (ORSC) and Gallup-Certified Strengths coach.

Inclusive Teaching Manager, Center for Teaching and Learning

Marisella Rodriguez, Inclusive Teaching Manager at the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), partners with educators, staff, and campus units to design and assess equitable and inclusive learning environments. She manages and mentors a team of CTL staff to develop services and programs that help instructors advance their skill sets as equity-oriented educators. Marisella holds a PhD in Political Science and publishes on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and Educational Development (SoED). Her work in the CTL, teaching, and research aim to explore ways in which educators can dismantle racist structures in higher education. 

Assistant Research Professor and Director, Center on Civility & Democratic Engagement

Dr. Meredith Sadin is an Assistant Research Professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy. She is a trained political scientist (Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2014) and her work focuses on political access, community engagement, and inequality. Dr. Sadin has extensive experience collaborating with practitioners, policymakers, and government agencies on projects designed to evaluate, implement, scale, and improve public policies and programs as well as access to the democratic process. She aims to utilize Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches in her research – conducting rigorous and systematic research with the collaboration of those directly impacted by the issue being studied. She currently serves as the Director of the Center on Civility & Democratic Engagement (CCDE) as well as a Faculty Research Affiliate at the Possibility Lab.

Director of Faculty and Departmental Diversity Initiatives, Equity and Inclusion

Amy Scharf (she/her) has worked toward educational equity and justice for more than 20 years. She currently serves as Director of Faculty and Departmental Diversity Initiatives, where she leads departmental equity and inclusion planning efforts, directs a range of faculty DEIBJ programs, provides strategic consultation to campus leaders and departments, and facilitates equity and inclusion workshops for faculty, staff and students. Before Berkeley, Amy spent many years in the non-profit sector, working on state and national training initiatives related to cultural competence, bias-based harassment, racial and LGBTQ+ justice, and organizational transformation. Her academic background is in social and cultural studies of education. As a facilitator, she deeply values multiple perspectives, collaborative inquiry, courageous conversation and heart-centered dialogue.

Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Public Affairs 

Roqua Montez is the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Public Affairs at UC Berkeley. With a distinguished career in journalism, media strategy, and public affairs, Roqua brings extensive expertise in strategic communications, media relations, and executive messaging.​

Previously, he served as Executive Director of Communications and Media Relations at UC Berkeley, where he led national and international media outreach, spearheaded the external communications rollout for the university’s $6.3 billion capital campaign, and contributed to award-winning initiatives such as the “Racial Justice in America” series. He also held the role of Director of Media Relations and Press Secretary for the University of California Office of the President, directing media strategy for systemwide UC initiatives and campaigns. ​

Roqua began his career as a reporter, editor, and editorial writer at several major newspapers across the country. He holds a degree from Fordham University and, outside of work, enjoys training in Muay Thai, reading nonfiction, and caring for his collection of over three dozen plants.

Equitable Assessment Consultant, Center for Teaching and Learning

Rachel Weiher is CTL’s Equitable Assessment Consultant. Rachel’s background is in applied linguistics and critical pedagogy, and her doctoral research focused on developing best practices for teaching languages from a critical, sociolinguistically informed perspective. In CTL, she partners with instructors and staff to advance equitable, inclusive, and humanizing teaching. 

Chief People & Culture Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources

As UC Berkeley’s Chief People & Culture Officer (Associate Vice Chancellor), Eugene leads a 90-person human resources department including Talent Acquisition, People and Organization Development, Employee & Labor Relations, Compensation, Benefits, Staff Engagement & Belonging, UCPath Campus Operations and Human Resources Information Systems. Eugene also serves on the governing board of the American Research Universities-Human Resources Institute and the Human Resources Leadership Council for the University of California. During his time at UC Berkeley, Eugene has emphasized the creation of a workplace where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong.