Check out my amazing interview with a trailblazer and exceptional human being. I get to chop it up with the Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion at UC Berkeley. Come meet one of the most dynamic people to do Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice work!

Bio:

Dania Matos (she/her/ella) leads with love.As the fourth Vice Chancellor for the Division of Equity & Inclusion (E&I) at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and a member of Chancellor Carol Christ’s Cabinet, Dania guides and advises on strategies that prioritize social justice, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She started her role in August 2021, envisioning transformative, thriving ecosystems where every person knows they belong as unique members of an intersectional, multifaceted, and expansive campus community. Dania oversees E&I’s wide range of academic, advancement, and leadership opportunities for students, staff, and faculty. She also leads divisional Thriving Initiatives, each of which centers a specific community with a holistic approach to culturally-responsive services, programs, and supports. Dania believes that thriving is rooted in the transformative work UC Berkeley must undertake in order to genuinely live into its long-standing tradition of excellence in higher education. A zealous advocate, Dania has received numerous awards and recognitions. She was an inaugural recipient of the Latina Professional(link is external) Leaders in Action Awards in 2022 for having a strong voice for emerging Latina leaders. In recent years, she was awarded the Top DEI Advocate by the National Diversity Council(link is external); selected as a Leadership Academy Fellow by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities(link is external); and named one of the Top 25 Women in Higher Education byDiverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine(link is external).

Dania has championed equity and justice work in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors throughout her career and even has taken her talents to Broadway. She was the first deputy chief diversity officer at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia; and served in Virginia's public defender’s office. Prior to coming to UC Berkeley, she was the first associate chancellor and chief diversity officer at the University of California, Merced.

She was born in Puerto Rico and raised by a single mom and grandmother–women she credits for shaping her work and advocacy by instilling in her the awareness that she is inheriting a struggle and has a responsibility to do something about the world.

Dania holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law; and a BA from Brown University.

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