Speaker
Raul A. Leon
Assistant Vice Provost for Student Engagement and Scholarship Programs at UW–Madison
Raul Leon, Ph.D., is the assistant vice provost for student engagement and scholarship programs in the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement at UW–Madison, where he provides administrative, operational, and strategic leadership for the DDEEA’s student engagement and scholarship programs and serves as executive director of the Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program. As assistant vice provost, Dr. Leon oversees and directs a portfolio of identity-based scholarship programs. As executive director of the Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program, he leads and manages institutional-level strategic outreach, academic support, and student engagement initiatives for one of the university’s longest-standing and most highly regarded scholarship programs. He was named one of “Wisconsin’s Most Influential Latino Leaders” for 2022 by Madison365. Before rejoining UW–Madison in June 2022, Dr. Leon was a professor in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University, where he taught graduate-level courses in higher education and student affairs while keeping an active research agenda. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from UW–Madison and his master’s degree from the UW–Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Speaking in
Laying the Groundwork for Brighter Futures: Pathways to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Administration
Belonging is a crucial ingredient for success in any professional environment. But while most academic and industry leaders desire to create an atmosphere of belonging, the pathway is often unclear. In this session, a panel of UW leaders with diverse experience and expertise will discuss ways to break barriers and move toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion while amplifying previously untold stories of those who endeavored to do the same. The panelists will share a framework for approaching this work based upon efforts from different parts of UW–Madison intended to promote greater diversity, equity and inclusion, including high-impact educational strategies and best practices for fostering a sense of belonging. Participants will take away valuable knowledge and insights into this framework that they can use to affect change in their workplaces to move toward a more equitable and inclusive future.