It is a pleasure to announce the arrival of our new Campus Diversity Officer for Staff and Students. Teresa Maria Linda Scholz joined UC Santa Cruz on January 5.
Scholz, who goes by Linda, comes to Santa Cruz from Eastern Illinois University, where she has been an associate professor in the Communication Studies Department. She earned a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She also holds master's and bachelor's degrees in speech communication, as well as master's certification in women's studies, from Colorado State University.
In parallel to her academic career, Linda has extensive experience in diversity, using the classroom and her role as a faculty member to push for institutional and social change. She has a certificate in diversity training from StirFry Seminars and Consulting in Berkeley, led by the master diversity trainer Lee Mun Wah. She describes herself as a "critical Latina/Latin American transnational feminist scholar in communication studies." Her depth of experience in diversity and inclusion-related initiatives made her an outstanding candidate for this position.
Linda will oversee diversity and inclusion programming for the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, working closely with her counterpart for faculty, Herbie Lee, who is currently serving as interim campus provost/executive vice chancellor. Linda and Herbie are responsible for providing strategic direction as we build a welcoming and inclusive campus climate that will support all members of the UC Santa Cruz community. We strive for a respectful and nurturing community that is free from bias and harassment.
Diversity and inclusion are core campus values, and I look forward to working with Linda as she engages students, staff, faculty, and campus leaders in this important work. Linda succeeds Sheree Marlowe, who took a post at Clark University.
Please join me in welcoming Linda to UC Santa Cruz.
