FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/May 21, 2021

NJCU Introduces Dr. Angel Gonzalez as Inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

JERSEY CITY, N.J. | New Jersey City University (NJCU) President Dr. Sue Henderson has announced the appointment of Dr. Angel Gonzalez as the institution’s inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO), effective June 14.

Dr. Gonzalez was selected after the completion of an extensive national search that included input from faculty, staff, students, and board members. The Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer will be a critical addition to the university’s senior leadership team and will provide transformative leadership to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of NJCU’s core mission.

“The hiring of a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer is a milestone in NJCU’s history and is an outcome of the continual efforts that have taken place at the University to develop plans for broader, measurable diversity goals for the institution,” said Dr. Henderson. “This new position will help ensure that these are well implemented. Dr. Gonzalez emerged from an exceptional pool of candidates during the search process for this critical position and he will bring valuable leadership to our institution as we work to further enhance our commitment to these critical issues.”

Dr. Gonzalez stated “I am excited and honored to serve as the inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of New Jersey City University. My interactions with President Henderson and all of the NJCU stakeholders that I have met thus far have demonstrated a shared commitment to inclusive excellence in higher education. The diverse population of the university provides valuable opportunities to prepare students for an increasingly diverse and complex global environment.”

Dr. Gonzalez will join the NJCU community from Stony Brook University in Long Island, N.Y. At Stony Brook since August 2012, Dr. Gonzalez has served as program manager for the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE), the Graduate School, including an appointment as Interim Director of the CIE and Interim Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.

In that role, Dr. Gonzalez led and oversaw the strategic planning and administration of four externally-funded programs which promoted the retention and success of underrepresented and underserved students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He specifically worked with students in the NIH IMSD Program (for biological science graduate and undergraduate students), the GEM Fellowship (for applied and engineering science graduate students pursuing industry careers), the NSF LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship Program (for science graduate students), and the Turner Fellowship (for graduate students across fields) programs.

He utilized data-driven, evidence-based approaches to develop and implement programming and activities to foster the academic engagement and professional development of the students he served, and developed, and led implicit bias, inclusive teaching, and anti-racism workshops, trainings, and discussions for faculty and staff. His work included collaboration with departments, academic programs, faculty, and staff to develop and implement policies and practices to increase the recruitment, retention, and success of those students.

Additionally, in his term as Interim Assistant Dean, he directed strategic initiatives that encouraged diversity, equity, and inclusion in the administrative oversight of seven externally-funded programs, and wrote NIH grant proposals. Dr. Gonzalez oversaw the implementation of a SUNY-funded initiative to create a pathway to advance SUNY graduate students onto postdoctoral traineeships and tenure-track faculty positions within the SUNY system.

From March 2013 to June 2016, he served as a postdoctoral associate within Stony Brook’s CIE after working as a postdoctoral fellow for The Research Foundation at Stony Brook (August 2012-March 2013). Prior to this role, Dr. Gonzalez was a research assistant in Stony Brook’s Social Processes of Identity, Coping and Engagement Research Lab for five years (2007-2012), where he designed and managed studies examining the impact of discrimination on underrepresented college students. During this time, he also was a course instructor and teaching assistant in the areas of Introductory Psychology, Psychology of Prejudice, Research and Writing in Psychology and Social Psychology.

Dr. Gonzalez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach in 2004, a Master of Arts, Social/Health Psychology from Stony Brook in 2009 and a Doctor of Philosophy, Social/Health Psychology, also at Stony Brook, in 2012.

Dr. Gonzalez has twice been honored with awards during Stony Brook’s Annual Hispanic Heritage Month. He was bestowed the El Padrino Award during the 29th annual celebration in 2018, and the Faculty/Staff Award in 2015. In 2007 he was awarded the Dr. W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship.

Furthermore, he has contributed to multiple publications, presentation and talks in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. Among those were in 2018, when he presented during a panel entitled “Stereotype Threat – Mental Health in the Black and Brown Community.”

Dr. Gonzalez also chaired Stony Brook’s Hispanic Heritage Month Awards Committee — a committee he has sat on since 2014. He has served as the advisor for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) since August 2013.

“I look forward to getting to know and learning from all of the various campus stakeholders – students, faculty, staff and administrators,” Dr. Gonzalez added. “I will strive to be a dedicated partner and collaborator to work towards creating an inclusive and safe environment that welcomes and values individuals from all backgrounds. I have no doubt that by working together we can develop and implement a shared vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion that benefits us all.”

A native of Los Angeles, Calif., Dr. Gonzalez is the father of one son, Joshua, and a puppy, Tubbs. In his free time, he likes to run, collect vinyl records, and root for the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

About NJCU

New Jersey City University is an institution of higher learning with an audacious goal: the development of our students, our city, our communities, our state, and the world beyond. We are a game-changing force for our students and their families. Whether our students are enrolled in one of our 50 undergraduate, 28 graduate or three doctoral programs, NJCU provides an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty—all of which prepares them to be critical thinkers in a global landscape.

We’re also changing the game for our city, our communities, and our state. As the educational anchor institution in Jersey City, we’ve established partnerships to ensure the area’s growth directly benefits our students and community members. We seek to improve the lives of everyone in the Garden State, whether creating a home for the arts, bringing educational programs to K-12 students, offering bachelor’s degrees in partnership with community colleges, or providing professional development opportunities for adults.

At NJCU, we’re not just educating minds, we’re nourishing souls and lifting communities. We’re changing the game.