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In this episode we sit down with Dr. Emelyn dela Peña, President and CEO of NADOHE, for a timely conversation on leadership, mission clarity, and sustaining equity work in a rapidly shifting higher education landscape.
Drawing from her personal journey growing up in a diverse Los Angeles community, navigating loss and economic transition, and building a decades-long career across institutions like Stanford, Harvard, and Loyola, dela Peña reflects on the formative experiences that shaped her commitment to access, belonging, and student success. She shares how moments of protest, community support, and witnessing institutional responses to crisis helped define her purpose as an educator and leader.
The conversation, with In the Margins host Ralph Newell, explores the current national climate surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, including legal challenges, institutional overcorrections, and the growing role of fear in decision-making. And dela Peña emphasizes the importance of lawful, mission-driven leadership, deep listening, and centering those historically pushed to the margins.
She also outlines her priorities as NADOHE’s new president and CEO, including professional development, coalition building, and sustaining a community of practice for equity practitioners navigating uncertainty.
At its core, this episode is a call to remain grounded in values, to support the people doing DEI work, and to remember that changing language should never mean changing commitments to fairness, representation, and opportunity.
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