Diana Lizarraga | Short Bio

Diana has been working at UC Berkeley for 21 years and is passionate about STEM mentoring. In her capacity as the Cal NERDS Executive Director and the Division of Equity & Inclusion’s Director of STEM Equity and Success she enjoys working with a wonderful team of staff and student leaders to manage the Cal NERDS suite of programs, Cal NERDS Student Center, and the STAR.berkeley.edu STEM tool. She describes this work as advising-oriented, problem solving, and collaborative. Diana was an EOP, pell, student athlete re-entry, transfer student and she continues to advocate for non-dominant student communities, especially first-generation students. She earned an AA in Math, Engineering, and Science at Sacramento City Community College, a B.S. in Agricultural Systems & Environment with a specialty in information management systems at UCDavis, and a Masters in Human Resources and Organizational Development at the University in San Francisco. Her UC Davis doctoral research was in Educational Leadership, with a special focus on TechnoInclusion.

Three things about me related to Higher Education STEM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

[1] I like to problem solve with creativity from vision to implementation – DEI strategic planning that amplifies opportunities, especially for student engagement.

[2] I am an educational technologist who has worked in DEI space 25+ years (~21 years at UC Berkeley), advocating for non-dominant communities, while being a leader that achieves results through various awards, increased number of programs/initiatives, operational planning and administration, physical campus space, and a spectrum of responsibilities. My latest awards include the 2021 Service to the Advising and Student Services Community Award, 2022 Collegium Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education for Cal NERDS, & the 2023 Mary Slakey Howell Excellence in Advising and Student Services Award (highest honor for truly exceptional contributions to students and the advising and student services community on campus).

[3] My passion has shaped my educational leadership doctoral work to create a new theory, called TechnoInclusion which uses DEI strategies via technology that connects students, faculty, staff, and/or others to activities, information, opportunities, & networks which creates validating experiences, a sense of belonging, and/or a positive campus climate in academic settings.

University of California Staff snapshot: Diana Lizarraga, UC Berkeley’s chief NERD https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/2021/02/staff-snapshot-diana-lizarraga,-uc-berkeleys-chief-nerd.html