Announcing UCF’s New Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion

13 Announcing UCF’s New Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by KRISTY MCALLISTER

ORLANDO, FL | UNIVERTY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – UCFToday | June 3, 2021 – After a national search, Andrea Guzmán has accepted the position of vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at UCF. She anticipates starting her new role on July 6. Guzman is currently the associate vice president for student outreach and diversity at Florida Atlantic University, where she leads efforts to provide a campus climate that supports diversity and inclusion, student success, personal development, and integrated student learning experiences. She has also developed three university-wide centers; a number of student success programs for marginalized populations; and several symposiums to advance and sustain diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for faculty, staff and students. “Our path to becoming one of the world’s leading metropolitan research universities requires an inclusive environment with a culture of compassion at its core,” says President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Andrea’s passion and experience align well with our mission and values and illustrate that she is the perfect fit to lead this charge and help UCF become a model for inclusive excellence.” Guzman’s passion for diversity, equity and inclusion work started at a very young age. Born in Detroit to Puerto Rican parents, she is a firstgeneration college graduate from humble beginnings who is dedicated to identifying and closing opportunity and achievement gaps for students of all backgrounds. “Education is not only transformative, but is also an equalizer for social mobility, changing the trajectory for students and future generations,” says Guzman. “It also helps in the development of a healthy economy in order to create a diverse and vibrant society.” During her time at Florida Atlantic University, Guzman is most proud of the creation of the Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education, and Advocacy (IDEAs), which houses offices that directly support universitywide diversity, equity an inclusion goals. Through education, training, and student success programs for international, Hispanic/Latinx, LGBTQ+ and Black/African American students, the Center for IDEAs seeks to remove educational barriers for marginalized populations and create a sense community. Understanding that diversity is multifaceted, she also created two other university-wide centers that provide student support and advance institutional goals of diversity: the Military and Veterans Student Success Center, and the Women and Gender Equity Resource Center. In addition to supporting student success, each center also provides professional development opportunities for faculty and staff and works collaboratively across colleges and the community on training, research, and fundraising. One of UCF’s priorities is realizing a bold ambition to become the national model for inclusive excellence. This means creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and included every day and where differences are celebrated. We know the diversity of background and experience, thought and religion, beliefs and ideals — brought together — makes us better and makes our goals more attainable. In her role at UCF, Guzman will report to the president as a member of the executive leadership team, working with students, faculty, staff, community members and others to achieve this vision. She will also lead the development of a comprehensive strategy that champions evidencebased practices in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion in the context of a dynamic, multi-campus university. “There is so much about UCF that stood out to me — the fact that it is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and enrolls a large percentage of firstgeneration, Pell-eligible, nontraditional students means that we can make a huge impact on student lives and in the community,” says Guzman. “When you combine this with a university leadership committed to making institutional and sustainable change from the very top, faculty and staff that form a proud community of DEI champions, and deep community partnerships, Andrea Guzmán, new vice president for it creates an environment that I am diversity, equity and inclusion at UCF very excited to be a part of.” The 15-member search committee was co-chaired by Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, dean of the Burnett Honors College, and Edwanna Andrews, assistant vice president for community support within Student Development and Enrollment Services. “Andrea’s commitment to inclusive excellence through collaboration and mutual respect is evident. The committee was impressed by her accomplishments and, most importantly, her style of leadership which brings people together,” says Piñeres and Andrews. “She will be a key partner with both internal and external constituents and UCF is fortunate that Andrea has chosen to be part of our UCF family.” Guzman earned her bachelor’s in societal politics, Master of Public Administration and Doctor of Education from the University of Michigan. She is the proud mother of two teenage boys, Isaias (17) and Pedro (15), and a 7-year-old daughter, Isabella. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, listening to music, going to the beach and reading. Ella también habla Español.

Groundswell Fund Shares An Open Letter to Philanthropy… continued from page 7

calling on you to stand with us now in disrupting the current trend in racial justice funding by signing onto this statement as a supporter and voicing the following statements and questions in philanthropic spaces: 1.The gold standard of racial justice giving is to move flexible resources on a large scale to people of color-led organizations that are primarily accountable to movements in their communities and capable of redistributing these funds. This includes grassroots organizations like

M4BL with the capacity to re-grant and public foundations led by people of color who come out of grassroots movements. This type of giving supports the self-determination of people of color. 2.If you are a white donor or white-led institution building new infrastructure to resource people of color, and that infrastructure is virtually identical to the infrastructure of existing public foundations led by people of color, why are you not just funding these public foundations? Is it due to a lack of trust? A need to maintain ownership and control? And if you are tapping these public foundations to teach you how to build this new infrastructure because you admire how well they have built theirs, why not just fund what they have already built? (Helpful article from

Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity) Our liberation is bound to one another’s, and the surest way to freedom is to follow, and fund, those who know the way. Join us in our vision for the path forward. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a full list of people of color-led, movement accountable public foundations. GROUNDSWELL FUND 510.444.5900 info@groundswellfund.org 548 Market Street #49734 San Francisco, California 94104