Speakers
Dr. Gilda Garcia's career in diversity spans more than 20 years. She is currently the Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator at Texas State University. She is currently working on supporting the university’s commitment to creating a safe and successful environment for learning and working at the university in the beautiful rolling hills of San Marcos, Texas. Prior to this position, Gilda served in a similar position as Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President at the University of North Texas. While there, Dr. Garcia guided the UNT in its expansion of the diversity statement and non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Dr. Garcia launched new resources to advance inclusivity, including the UNT IDEA team, a diversity advisory board; Special Interest Group Networks; and the student-centered Transgender Taskforce. In collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs, she developed and launched the Pride Alliance, a new space dedicated to LGBT students and faculty and staff members, and the Black Student Experience, an annual event for African American students. She reinvigorated the annual Equity and Diversity Conference, and collaborated with UNT-International and the Office of Sustainability to create the “Creating Great Global Citizens” initiative. In both her professional and personal life, Dr. Garcia is committed to strengthening communities through outreach and engagement initiatives. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin and is proud to call herself a native Texan.