Congratulations to Jason Rodriquez who on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, successfully defended his dissertation proposal. The title of Jason’s dissertation is: A Critical Qualitative Study of Latino Chief Diversity Officers’ Community Cultural Wealth.
Jason’s critical qualitative study seeks to describe the experiences of Latino Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) in higher education. Drawing upon Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) as a theoretical lens, this study seeks to uncover how Latino CDOs navigate their leadership roles and address barriers to fostering a more inclusive campus environment. As CDO roles become more common and DEI efforts evolve (in increasingly contested spaces), this study will highlight the unique experiences of Latino CDOs, who are often underrepresented in senior leadership positions. Using the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, the study will explore how Latino CDOs use aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital to facilitate DEI initiatives.
Participants will be selected using purposeful sampling including self-identified Latinos, served as a CDO for 2+ years, and at a US institution of higher education, 2-year or 4-year, public or private. Data will be collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore their lived experiences, challenges, and strategies in navigating their roles. This research will amplify Latino voices and will fill an important gap in understanding the work and contributions of Latino CDOs. The findings will contribute to the growing body of qualitative scholarship on diversity leadership with implications for supporting diversity leaders in higher education. A goal is to provide insights that can help colleges and universities improve their diversity leadership efforts.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Nicole Joseph
Dr. John Melendez
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