Dr. Daisy Rodriguez Pitel is a culturally and racially conscious leader whose vision and professional practice is grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She fell in love with education during her undergraduate experience at San Francisco State University, studying Speech Communication and indulging in Ethnic Studies coursework. She earned her graduate degrees in higher education administration with a focus on Student Personnel Administration, graduating from New York University with her master’s degree and her PhD from Indiana University- Bloomington. She has a long career in higher education administration, serving in Residence Life, Student Activities, Multicultural Affairs, and International Education and Global Engagement. Dr. Rodriguez Pitel’s perspective is informed by her experiences living in multiple states across the U.S., including California, New York, Utah, Indiana, Virginia, and Arizona.

Daisy realized the value of owning her own narrative and exercising her voice as she completed her dissertation on the voices of Filipino American college students. She is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and speaker. Additionally, she authored two children’s books, Going to Lola Lynn’s and Adobo at School. She values her identity as a Filipina American, and embraces her roles as an educator, leader, and family member-especially as a mom to her thirteen year old son, Daniel.

Raised in Tucson, Chelsea Forer is a Cienega High School and University of Arizona (UA) alumna with Bachelor degrees in Religious Studies and Biological Anthropology. Her education also includes intermediate Arabic proficiency and coursework in Higher Education and international human rights law. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her studies focus on Indigenous traditions and epistemologies, and equitable representation under the First Amendment.

Chelsea began working alongside youth as a College of Humanities Student Ambassador. In sharing her own love of learning, her passion for supporting students’ to find their desired place in Higher Education grew. After graduating from her undergraduate career, Chelsea served the Tucson nonprofit education sector as an AmeriCorps State member for two consecutive terms. Her work included direct service with high school youth in social emotional learning skills and college and career access as the Peer Coach Team Lead in partnership with the Metropolitan Education Commission (MEC)-Regional College Access Center (RCAC).

As a volunteer at the MEC’s annual Teen Town Hall, Chelsea experienced firsthand the impact of centering youth voice in education. When the opportunity to join the MEC staff as the RCAC Program Coordinator arose, Chelsea was thrilled to join local efforts in the fight for equitable access to education for all Tucson and Pima County students and families. She strives to build network collaborations across K-12 institutions, Higher Education institutions, and youth-serving community organizations in order to efficiently and sustainably facilitate access to community resources for all.