The Evolution of the Centers for Equity and Belonging
By Ella Tracy
In August 2025, Dr. Jackie Font-Guzmán arrived at St. Kate’s as the new Senior Vice President of Equity and Belonging. Since August, Font-Guzmán and her team have made several noteworthy changes to the overarching Office of Equity and Belonging to improve collaboration, cohesion and student engagement.
Font-Guzmán said she was drawn to St. Kate’s because of the long-lasting legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet. “The nuns have a history of social activism and being disruptive in strategic ways,” Font-Guzmán said. “I’ve had several career paths, but they’re all united by the common thread of social activism and seeking out those who are in most need. That’s why I gravitated toward this role.”
The Office of Equity and Belonging previously reported up to the Provost’s Office and was operated by the Human Resources department. The first change Font-Guzmán made was to establish the Office as an independent entity that reported directly to President Marcheta Evans.
“If you are a student, you weren’t impacted very much [by the Equity and Belonging office],” Font-Guzmán said. Reorganizing the leadership structure would allow for the Center to more directly work with students. The change also freed up Font-Guzmán to work more closely with faculty, staff and donors.
Another issue that Font-Guzmán identified when she began her role was the lack of staffing, and therefore energy, surrounding the student-facing Center for Intercultural Development and Center for Women. She quickly hired three staff members to work as Equity and Belonging Coordinators: Riley Swope, Maisah Blanton and Jae Louwagie. All three report to Noha Elmohands, who is the director of the student Centers. “Now we have the capacity to be nimble and responsive to the needs of students,” Font-Guzmán said.
The Equity and Belonging staff members at the Black Excellence Celebration.
“It is important to note that the Center for Women and the Center for Intercultural Development (CID) are not merging,” Font-Guzmán clarified. “They are still operating as independent offices with close collaborations.”
CID specializes in the Peer Mentorship Initiative (PMI) and works with international students, LGBTQ+ students and any students who are seeking support outside of what faculty/academic advisors can provide. The Center for Women will continue supporting scholarship programs, sending students to Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) conferences and collaborating with the Office of Scholarly Engagement to host events aimed toward students.
Font-Guzmán said that their next goals include updating the physical spaces of the Centers for Equity and Belonging, hosting more events and expanding collaborative efforts across campus. Along with Elmohands and the Equity and Belonging coordinators, Font-Guzmán is working to establish a more intentional relationship with the St. Kate’s Endowed Chair for Women’s Education, a position currently held by Sarah Rand. They are also hosting a series of lunches with women leaders in the community, plus events like the Black Excellence Celebration on Feb. 27th.
Font-Guzmán has also been working closely with St. Kate’s faculty and staff to “imbed inclusive pedagogy into curriculum and learn ways to address microaggressions, which sets up our faculty and students for success.”
She is currently assembling a task force to conduct a Campus Climate Survey, anticipated to launch in Spring 2026. “The task force will have representation from students, faculty and the Sisters of St. Joseph,” Font-Guzmán said. She aims to have the task force select an outside vendor to conduct the survey to reduce bias and ensure information transparency. They will use data collected and disseminated to create an action plan addressing campus-wide issues that are revealed by the survey.
In the meantime, Font-Guzmán hopes that students will engage with the Offices in whatever ways they need. She has an open-door policy both in CID/Center for Women and in Derham 101. Students are welcome to hang out in both spaces and can apply for student employment opportunities.
Students roast marshmallows during an outdoor event.
“We do have a theory of change here,” Font-Guzmán said. “In order to make change, we need to be disruptive but it needs to be strategic. We need to make connections within affinity groups (clubs, orgs, etc) but also strengthen connections across differences so we don’t stay in our silos. We want students to have fun which is a crucial function, but we also want students to think in terms of structural change.”
Font-Guzmán concluded by stating her belief that St. Kate’s has the potential to be a globally recognized university that truly leads and influences. “We have the right people, the right history and a mission that grounds us,” she said. “We’re connecting events with the strategic plans of the university to move us forward and strengthen who we are and what we do.”
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The original title of this article has been edited to remove potential and accidental minimization of the importance of pet therapy on campus. Dr. Jackie Font-Guzmán and The Wheel recognize the importance of these initiatives in supporting student well-being and apologize for any unintended offense.
