The new vice chancellor of “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Injustice” (DEIBJ) at University of California (UC) Berkeley earns a salary of $325,000 to perform duties such as “battling injustices, systemic oppression, racism, sexism – all those things,” she said recently.
In an interview at theSkimm in late September, Dania Matos discussed her new role, explaining she prefers not to “think of it as a career,” but, rather, as “who I am and how I show up”:
My identity is Latina, first born, raised by a single mom. Those all shape the way I explore and see the world, how I shape it, and how it intersects when I’m in community with others.
Matos said her undergraduate degree in international relations from Brown University and then her law degree from the Catholic University of America helped her to pursue a goal of changing “structural oppression.”
According to the agenda for the members of the Regents/UC Governance Committee for a June 23 meeting, Matos’ salary was presented as an item:
The appointment of and compensation for Dania Matos as Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion, Berkeley campus, at 100 percent time, effective on her hire date which is estimated to be August 16, 2021, with a proposed base salary of $325,000 … The proposed base salary of $325,000 is 10.4 percent above the 75th percentile ($294,400) and 5.8 percent below the 90th percentile ($345,200) of the position’s Market Reference Zone and 14 percent above the current career incumbent’s base salary ($285,000).
Today, Matos said she spends her time meeting and holding “listening sessions” with “students, faculty, staff, and campus partners.”
Matos described the “emotional toll” of her job, one that is helped by “practicing mindfulness breathing”:
I am up against a lot of systems of power that are bigger than myself. It takes a little bit out of you. When you’re battling injustices, systemic oppression, racism, sexism – all those things – your heart breaks into a million pieces. I have to pick all those pieces up and put my heart back together every single time.
After being hired for her new role in July, Matos said in an interview with Berkeley News one of her priorities is ensuring Berkeley becomes a “certified Hispanic Serving Institution.”
“Honoring the ideals of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice is about perpetuating beauty in the center of injustice,” Matos said. “To do that we must confront our enduring legacy of slavery and the structural inequities that founded this nation with actionable solutions that lead to transformative change.”
In announcing Matos’ new role as the school’s top “DEIBJ” officer, Chancellor Carol Christ, said, “At this unique moment in time, the role of the vice chancellor for equity and inclusion could not be more important for our campus.”
“We are confident and feel fortunate that Dania will provide the leadership and vision we need to rebuild community, provide a true sense of belonging for all and advance the essential fight against hatred, bias and discrimination,” Christ added.
Ironically, at the K-12 education level, a study published at the Heritage Foundation in October, found school districts with “diversity and inclusion” programs are not only not shrinking achievement gaps between white and Asian students, and those from black and Hispanic backgrounds, but actually expanding those gaps.
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