DePaul University President Rob Manuel announced the selection of Dania Matos as the next vice president for diversity, inclusion and belonging in a Newsline statement emailed to the university community on Tuesday.

In the Dec. 10 statement, Manuel stated, “Diversity, inclusion, and belonging are central to who we are as a Catholic, Vincentian university … Dania exemplifies how to connect our commitment to diversity and justice with our mission work, consistent with our faith community.”

The selection of Matos comes after a nine-month-long search committee process, led by faculty council president Sonia Soltero and dean of The Theatre School, Martine Kei-Green Rogers. According to the statement, “(the committee) included a diverse group of representatives from the colleges, schools, administrative departments and shared governance councils.”

Matos is coming to DePaul from the University of California, Berkeley, where she currently serves as vice chancellor for equity and inclusion. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.

In the statement announcing her selection, Matos said, “The work of equity, justice, belonging and inclusion is not just work I do, but it is in the very fabric of who I am … My role is not to speak for others but to create room for others to speak for themselves.”

José Perales will end his time as interim vice president of the division after taking on the role in June 2023 following the retirement of Elizabeth Ortiz.

President Manuel offered his thanks to both Perales and the search committee, in his statement.

“I’m grateful to the search committee for their time and dedication to finding the best person to fill this critical role for our university community. I also would like to recognize José Perales for serving as interim vice president for the last year and a half … Thanks to all their efforts, DePaul is gaining an exceptional leader who will elevate our entire university.”

Matos will begin her role at DePaul effective Feb. 1, 2025.

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