Story updated Sept. 22
San Jose State is in the process of hiring a director of advocacy for racial justice, which is a new position within the Community and Government Relations team under the Office of the President.
Lisa Millora, the vice president for strategy and chief of staff, stated in an email to the Spartan Daily that the director will collaborate with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and community partners to coordinate and lead programs and initiatives that will promote racial justice for faculty members, staff and students.
“This position will build capacity for SJSU to put into action plans to address systemic racism the university has been developing for some time to support students from historically underserved backgrounds,” Millora said. “Closing equity gaps for students also requires addressing equity issues for faculty and staff.”
This position is one of two new roles that will seek to address racial inequity at SJSU. Another search is in progress for the other role, the director of Black/African American equity, which will reside in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Three open forums were held between Sept. 15-17, one forum for each of the three final candidates. These forums allowed the campus community to learn more about the candidates applying for the advocacy and racial justice role through a presentation and Q&A session.
Each day, about 80 viewers attended the hour-long forums, which included students, university lecturers, administration and the search committee leader.
One participant, Leslye Tinson, a psychology and African American studies lecturer, joined the forum to stay informed about the candidates for this position.
“The person who is placed into the role, and the abilities and freedoms they are given to challenge the status quo will determine if there's anything substantial that can be gained from this new position,” Tinson stated in an email to the Spartan Daily.
Tinson said she hopes the committee puts up the best candidate for the position.
"I will entrust the search committee to do their job and I hope that they will recommend the strongest candidate, including if that means seeking more applications and doing additional interviews for the position," she said.
Tinson emphasized the importance of taking the time to choose the person to become the director of advocacy for racial justice.
“Although change and justice are urgently needed, it's important not to rush to make knee-jerk decisions that can cause more harm to already marginalized groups on campus,” she said.
Prior to the forums, the entire campus community was emailed a copy of the candidates’ resume, cover letter and their answer to the question, “What vision do you have for the role you would play in addressing systemic racism and promoting racial justice?”
The first forum was for Jahmal Williams, who has worked at SJSU since 2014 and is currently the program director for the African-American/Black Student Success Center. He opened up by sharing his vision for dealing with the matter.
“Addressing racism at SJSU means placing historically underserved communities at the center of the work of the institution on all fronts,” Williams said.
He further explained his plans for empowerment of campus minorities including identifying how systemic racism is perpetuated at SJSU.
If chosen for the position, Williams said he would work, “to reimagine a different Spartan way of life.”
Prior to his time at SJSU, Williams worked in Student Affairs at North Carolina Central University and in the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access at Georgetown University.
Williams has a master’s degree in clinical social work and a bachelor's degree in women's studies.
Jenny Chacón, an SJSU alumna and a freelance project management consultant who focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion for nonprofits was the subject of the second forum. She took a moment to address the importance of the role of director of advocacy for racial justice.
“The ultimate goal of [the] position is to create a more inclusive SJSU campus through a multi-faceted approach of addressing institutional racism at the systemic and personal levels,” Chacón said.
She said she would implement training on racial justice and workplace inclusion and wants to focus on reforming policies and practices that maintain white supremacy or anti-Blackness at SJSU.
Before her time as a consultant, Chacón held various positions like strategy officer in Marin County and program planner with the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Chacón has a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor's degree in political science and Spanish.
In the third forum, Travis Tamasese, Student Affairs chief of staff at California State University, Long Beach, had the opportunity to answer the same question for the SJSU community
“The role of the Director of Advocacy for racial justice must ultimately be an active, engaged and flexible one,” Tamasese said.
Moreover, he said his vision for the role includes a path of listening, learning and educating to exemplify the need for active leadership and engagement.
Prior to his time at CSU Long Beach, Tamasese worked for the Santa Ana Unified School District as a senior executive assistant and received a bachelor's degree in English.
Lisa Millora, vice president for strategy and chief of staff, said that the university plans to make the hiring decision by the end of the month.
