Speakers & Presenters

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).

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. 

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. 

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.

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

For over 50 years, Ericka has used her life experiences in service to community. From 1973-1981, she was director of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School. From 1990-2004 Ericka managed HIV/AIDS Volunteer and Education programs. She also supported innovative mindfulness programs for women and youth in schools, jails and prisons.

Ericka was professor of Sociology and African American Studies from 2008 through 2015 in the Peralta Community College District. From 2003 to 2011 she was professor of Women and Gender Studies at California State Universities- East Bay and San Francisco.

She currently curates conversations focused on the individual and collective work of becoming equitable in all areas of our daily lives.

Additionally, she facilitates workshops on the benefit of self care in sustaining social change.

As a support of the Black Studies Collaboratory, In Spring 2023, Ericka was a panelist in the Black Studies Open University event & Educate to Liberate: A Black Panther Photographic Time Capsule Unveiled, in which she shared her experiences as Director of the renowned Oakland Community School from 1973-1981. 

Ericka is co-author, with photographer Stephen Shames, of the book, Comrade Sisters-Women of the Black Panther Party, published in fall 2022.

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 Vice Chancellor of Community Engagement & Thriving- Division of Equity & Inclusion

Dr. Elisa Diana Huerta (they/them/elle) is a Brawley born and Tejas raised organizer, educator, artesanx, and scholar. They completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and their doctoral work at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Elisa’s scholarship and teaching focuses on expressive culture, women of color feminist praxis, hemispheric Indigeneity, radical pedagogy, and community-based research. As the Founding Director of the UC Berkeley Multicultural Community Center (MCC), and now Associate Vice Chancellor of Community Engagement & Transformative Care, Elisa is proud to co-create dynamic and engaged holistic resources for students, faculty, staff, and community members on a daily basis. They currently support the Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement (EJCE) and steward the campus wide Thriving Initiatives. Art-making, of all kinds, make their heart happy.

Executive Director of Organizational Transformation-  African American Thriving Initiatives

Dr. Elisa Diana Huerta (they/them/elle) is a Brawley born and Tejas raised organizer, educator, artesanx, and scholar. They completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and their doctoral work at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Elisa’s scholarship and teaching focuses on expressive culture, women of color feminist praxis, hemispheric Indigeneity, radical pedagogy, and community-based research. As the Founding Director of the UC Berkeley Multicultural Community Center (MCC), and now Associate Vice Chancellor of Community Engagement & Transformative Care, Elisa is proud to co-create dynamic and engaged holistic resources for students, faculty, staff, and community members on a daily basis. They currently support the Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement (EJCE) and steward the campus wide Thriving Initiatives. Art-making, of all kinds, make their heart happy.

Director - Multicultural Community Center 

antmen pimentel mendoza (he/she/they) is a writer and educator based in Oakland, California. antmen is the author of the chapbook MY BOYFRIEND APOCALYPSE (Nomadic Press, 2023; reprinted by Black Lawrence Press). Their poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Split Lip Magazine, New Delta Review, Cream City Review and is anthologized in Best New Poets. They have received support from the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, Kundiman, and the Vermont Studio Center and an MFA from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University. antmen is an alum of UC Berkeley’s Multicultural Community Center and currently serves as its Director. antmen is online at antmenpm.com.

Executive Director for Organizational Transformation - Asian American Pacific Islander Thriving Initiatives

Terisa Siagatonu is an award-winning queer Sāmoan poet, educator, and transformative leader from the Bay Area. Her work has granted her opportunities to perform, facilitate workshops, and deliver keynote addresses at hundreds of universities nationwide and across Oceania, with featured performances at the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, the 9th Annual Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, and the 2019 SF Women's March. A 2023 Emerson Collective Fellow, she’s published in Poetry Magazine and The Academy of American Poets and has been featured on CNN, NBCNews, NPR, KQED, Huffington Post, The Guardian, and more. She is the co-editor of "We the Gathered Heat: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word" (Haymarket Books, 2024) and the author of her debut forthcoming children’s book "The Vastness of Us" (Penguin, Spring 2027). 

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.

Co-Director, Belonging Resident Company

Sarah Cowell is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, arts educator and nonprofit leader who creates powerful collaborative experiences through movement, intimate storytelling and scathing political commentary. 

Senior Consultant & Principal - Marts & Lundy

Penelepe Hunt (she/her) is a Senior Consultant and Principal of Marts&Lundy. Penelepe is adept at guiding the complex interplay of relationships throughout complex organizations. Her expertise includes strategic planning, campaign management, developing top-level prospect strategies, fostering collaboration and accountability, empowerment training, and executive coaching for organizational leadership and staff. Penelepe was Managing Principal of Marts&Lundy’s Education practice from 2000 to 2004 and has served on the firm’s board. She joined the firm in 2013 from her role as Vice Chancellor for Development at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) She has been named a CASE Laureate, was awarded CASE’s prestigious Crystal Apple for Excellence in Teaching, and received AFP’s Benjamin Franklin Award for career excellence and leadership. During her time at Marts&Lundy she has worked with over 200 universities, arts and cultural organizations, conservation, and public benefit agencies. 

Associate Director of Equity & Inclusion - Center for Teaching & Learning

Marisella Rodriguez is the Associate Director of Equity & Inclusion in the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL). She partners with educators, staff, and campus units to design and assess equitable learning environments. Marisella also manages and mentors a team of CTL staff to develop services and programs aimed at helping campus educators refine and advance their own orientations to and practice of social justice teaching. 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.

Associate Vice Chancellor of Health & Wellbeing - University Health Services

Cory Vu joined UC Berkeley as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Health & Wellbeing in 2024. He was previously the Associate Vice Chancellor of Health, Wellness and Divisional Resources at UC Davis for 7 years. Cory completed his Bachelor's Degree in Biology at UC Davis in 1990. In 1994, Cory received his Doctor of Optometry degree from UC Berkeley, School of Optometry. Outside of work, Cory enjoys spending time with his family and 2 dogs. He also enjoys gardening, playing golf, hiking, casual walks around the neighborhood,  and cooking.

Instructional Consultant - Center for Teaching & Learning

Liam Aiello (he/him) is an instructional consultant at Berkeley's Center for Teaching and Learning, where he works with instructors to explore new possibilities for their pedagogy. He facilitates a monthly seminar for new faculty interested in instructional development and coordinates a writing group for instructors and staff focused on liberatory outcomes in higher education. He holds a PhD in Education and spent several years as a 5th grade humanities teacher — an experience that continues to shape his work in higher ed.

Adviser - Berkeley Study Abroad

Michelle Ayazi (she/her) has worked at UC Berkeley as a study abroad advisor 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 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. She is also part of the Freedom Community Clinic Healers Network. 

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.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer - WELLie

Dominic Malone is a human development strategist, entrepreneur, and speaker dedicated to helping people and organizations unlock their highest potential. As Founder and CEO of WELLie, an AI-powered platform designed to help people see clearly and choose wisely, he is helping shape the future of human-centered technology. He is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Arise Wellness, a nationally recognized organizational well-being company that has impacted more than 5 million students through leadership development, culture transformation, and well-being initiatives. Drawing on his experience as an educator, school leader, and entrepreneur, Dominic’s work centers on one belief: lasting change begins with the human layer.

Organizational Development Consultant  - Division of Undergraduate Education

Liza Schlosser (she/they) supports organizational and staff development for the Division of Undergraduate Education at UC Berkeley, but her real calling is as a co-conspirator for the reclamation of our radiant and joyful wellbeing! Liza is an experienced, trauma-informed yoga + meditation teacher, Reiki practitioner, facilitator, and coach. They trained in the Strozzi Institute Somatic Coaching methodology, and is overjoyed to support people and organizations in cultivating the practices that support personal and collective healing.

Senior Adviser on Equity and Belonging  - Division of Student Affairs

Donna Vivar (she/her) is the Senior Advisor on Equity and Belonging in the Division of Student Affairs at UC Berkeley and founder of kasama collective, a practice that integrates life coaching, career development, florals, and Reiki energy healing. With more than 20 years in higher education, she brings an equity-centered, intuitive, and compassionate approach to supporting individuals and teams. Through coaching and energy healing, Donna helps clients reconnect with their inner wisdom, balance their life-force energy, and create alignment in mind, body, and spirit. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley and Harvard, is a certified life and leadership coach and Reiki practitioner, and enjoys spending time with her family, flower arranging, trying new food, and being by the water.

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 People & Culture Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor - People and Culture

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.