California Council of Cultural Centers in Higher 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 and enact an organizational identity for serving minoritized populations. She explores the experiences of administrators, faculty, and staff at HSIs and the outcomes of students attending these institutions. As an equity-minded scholar, she tends to the ways that race and racism have shaped institutions of higher education.Dr. Garcia is the author of Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities for which she won the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Book of the Year Award in 2020 and the editor of the book Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Practice: Defining “Servingness” at HSIs. Her newest book, Transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions for Equity and Justice was released in Spring 2023 and is now available. She has delivered over 150 public lectures and workshops across the country and consults directly with HSIs to work towards organizational transformation. She is also the host of the popular podcast ¿Qué pasa, HSIs? and founded the Cal HSI Center which advances HSI research that informs practice and policy. Dr. Garcia graduated from California State University, Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, the University of Maryland, College Park with a master’s degree in college student personnel, and the University of California, Los Angeles with a Ph.D. in higher education and organizational change. She is a proud alumna of a HSI and was a Title V Coordinator at Cal State University, Fullerton which drives and motivates her research and praxis.
Dawn Lee, Ph.D. (she/they) is a professional development specialist and equity strategist. Her joys are helping people and groups grow and transform through teaching, facilitating, training, coaching, and restorative mediation. As the Founder of Abundant Strategies Collective, she brings over 20 years of experience as a consultant and strategist who accompanies and guides organizations through change management, and coach for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging-minded professionals. Professionally, she is the Faculty Director for Professional and Organizational Development at De Anza College and part-time faculty in Asian American Studies at San Jose State University. She is a Gallup CliftonStrengths Certified Coach, an INIFAC Certified Virtual Facilitator, and is completing her coaching certification through Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) training from CRR Global. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies and an M.A. in American Studies.