Congratulations to Jason Rodriquez who on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, successfully defended his dissertation proposal. The title of Jason鈥檚 dissertation is: _A Critical Qualitative Study of Latino Chief Diversity Officers鈥� Community Cultural Wealth._ Jason鈥檚 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: 聽 Dr. Susan V. Iverson DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS: 聽聽 Dr. Nicole Joseph Dr. John Melendez ------------------------- TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL Elevate your leadership skills, deepen your understanding of critical and contemporary education issues, and learn to help solve the current challenges in P-20 education. 聽 LEARN TO INSPIRE CHANGE The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership from 91直播, offered in partnership with Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES,鈥痷tilizes a forward-thinking approach to educational leadership that is ideal for practicing and aspiring leaders in any educational context. It is designed to support the goals of educational鈥痯rofessionals who seek to develop their leadership skills for career advancement or current job enhancement.鈥� 聽 LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP