June 22, 2023
Dr. Ortiz is a diversity, equity, and inclusion professional who has dedicated herself for more than 20 years to building DePaul University’s institutional capacity to address structural racism. Dr. Ortiz received her Ed.D. in counseling, adult and higher education and her M.S. in leadership and educational policy from Northern Illinois University, and her B.S. in business management from Calumet College of St. Joseph. Prior to her role at DePaul, Dr. Ortiz served as executive director of affirmative action and diversity resources at Northern Illinois University and as director of the office for Hispanic programs at Chicago State University. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at DePaul and Northeastern Illinois University.
We recently asked Dr. Ortiz a few questions about her experience with NADOHE and her long career, including her most recent role as vice president for institutional diversity and equity at DePaul University, from which she will retire at the end of June 2023. “It has been an honor to serve as the Senior Diversity Officer at DePaul University. Much has been accomplished in the time that I have been at DePaul, but I am also aware that there is much more work to be done. This is the nature of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. We continually work on an aspirational, just future, and so our work is ongoing and evolving,” Dr. Ortiz said.
Why are you a member of NADOHE?
I was a board member of NADOHE for over 10 years, and I continued to be involved as a member of NADOHE. My participation in NADOHE was foundational to my understanding and engaging DEI and inclusive excellence. Working in a coalition of committed professionals toward transformational change in higher education DEI practice is pivotal as we move forward as DEI senior officers.
Can you discuss your work as co-chair of the Public Policy Committee?
I always believed that to change social systems, there needs to be an engagement with public policy. The work of the Public Policy Committee is critical to addressing the systemic issues of access and equity. NADOHE strives to be the preeminent voice in higher education, and shaping public policy and informing decision-makers is key to achieving greater influence and impact.
How have you contributed to NADOHE’s Anti-Racism Task Force?
The Anti-Racism Task Force work was a collective effort to address racial inequity in colleges and universities. Our goal was to examine the entire ecosystem of higher education and what needed to be done to achieve racial justice. The final document is a guide to examine higher education systems, policies, and practices through an anti-racist lens to mitigate racism and systemic impression that affects minoritized and marginalized communities.
You recently helped to establish the Senior Diversity Officers in Catholic Higher Education Chapter and serve as the chapter co-chair. Why is this important?
I have worked for DePaul University, a Catholic Vincentian university, for 21 years. In this time, I have met several Catholic diversity officers, and collectively we realized we needed a vehicle for coming together and discussing what it means to respect the dignity of each person under the tenets of our faith. We have been meeting for four years now, sharing best practices, sharing resources, and gaining a network of professionals who can work together. It is a natural progression that we would join in solidarity with NADOHE and become a chapter. We join with NADOHE to move DEI forward in all aspects of higher education as well as our own institutions.