California State University, Chico, Chief Diversity Officer

California State University, Chico announced Dr. Joseph Morales, PhD as the Chief Diversity Officer. 

Morales brings to Chico State an impressive background in equity, diversity, and inclusion work from the University of California, Irvine, where he has served as a member of the leadership team in the Office of Inclusive Excellence. His responsibilities include advancing student success, deepening and expanding UCI’s relationships with other Minority-Serving Institutions, and advocating for inclusive excellence locally, regionally, and nationally. He is a founding faculty member of the Cal State Long Beach/Long Beach Unified School District Ethnic Studies Initiative with expertise in critical race and ethnic studies; Latinx religion and spiritualities; digital humanities; and history of higher education.

Morales began his educational path at a California community college as a first-generation, low-income student. He holds a B.A. in Spanish and Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.A. in Divinity from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lindsay Gold led this search with Katheryne Martinez.