UCOP’s New Director of Systemwide Alumni Engagement
The DPI Team
After eight years with UCLA Alumni, Patricia Châu Nguyễn, senior director of Diversity Programs & Initiatives (DPI), will be taking on a new role with the University of California Office of the President this month. Patricia has consistently paved the way for diverse Bruins to evolve and grow with DPI, particularly as it relates to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Driven by her passion for social justice, Patricia brought her student affairs background and deep experience developing campus multicultural programs to build the Diversity Programs & Initiatives at UCLA Alumni. She assembled a team of very talented staff and graduate and undergraduate students. She consistently and thoughtfully built (and in many cases rebuilt) relationships with alumni and 10 active diversity networks, while strengthening the (then) newly formed Alumni Board Diversity Advisory Committee. The solid and often innovative work of this team has been embraced and emulated by colleagues around the country and recognized with multiple awards. She and her team have launched several programs to create various spaces for dialogue on difficult and important conversations, and connected Bruins of underrepresented backgrounds to diverse alumni communities.
Patricia shares with us a glimpse into her future, and an introspective look at her eight-year journey with Diversity Programs & Initiatives at UCLA Alumni.
Patricia and Julie Sina
What you will be doing in your new position and what led to its creation?
This position has existed in the past in different forms. I will be serving in a refocused role on alumni as the Director of Systemwide Alumni Engagement at the University of California Office of the President. This role will strategize on ways to engage alumni from a system perspective, creating a sense of community and pride among the 10 UC campuses. Specifically, I will be working with our alumni regents in their efforts, as well as facilitating space for alumni directors and associate vice chancellors of each of the campuses to connect and share promising practices. I will also serve as the advocate for alumni in all efforts, initiatives and programs from the Office of the President.
What are your goals for your first six months in this new role?
I think the most important thing for any new leader entering a new role in their community is to listen. Not only in a typical “listening tour” fashion, but to listen in more nuanced ways. “Listen” to the buildings and artifacts (like archives). “Listen” to its media for what is covered and not covered. “Listen” to colleagues to find synergies and opportunities, more so than gaps and issues. “Listen” to the quantitative and qualitative data that is already available. “Listen” to the excitement and passion that comes out in events and programs. With this careful and caring ear, I hope to learn more about each of the 10 campuses from the proud staff and volunteer leaders that call them their beloved alma mater. I think this is crucial in the first 6 months to ensure that any change that I implement will be welcomed, sustainable and impactful.
30th Annual NCORE
How has your role as Senior Director for Diversity Programs & Initiatives at UCLA Alumni prepared you for your next role with the University of California Office of the President?
With over 2 million graduates from an increasingly diverse alumni community from 10 uniquely different campuses, I believe my 15-plus years as a diversity and inclusion practitioner will offer culturally sensitive spaces for our 10 campuses to think about a new way of engaging alumni that goes beyond the homogenous practices of yesteryear. Under the supervision, guidance and inspiration of Associate Vice Chancellor, Julie Sina, I was able to hone my community-building skills, facilitate inclusive spaces and find synergies and pathways for change in institutional structures. Those skills were tested on a daily basis. Also, serving 10 identity-based alumni associations, I know I will carry the stories, the passions, the concerns, the worries, the joys and the pride points of many. I hope to channel all of this into the work I do in this next chapter of my professional journey. I hope the change I create is continually inspired by all this and in return, resonates with all I am hoping to serve.
When you look back on your last eight years with UCLA Alumni, what are you most proud of?
I am proud of the community of volunteer leaders we have created, sustained and nurtured over these past years. The Diversity Networks are the heart and soul of our program, and we could not be the program we are without all 10 of them. Not only are they leaders for their specific alumni communities, there is always a desire to support each other and the community as a collective. Intersectional community building is a beautiful thing to see manifested. There is a commitment and spirit to make UCLA a better place for all. Not only do we have the awards from CASE and NCORE to show for it, but it’s evident if you talk to any of the 175 leaders that have stepped up in this way. Because of them, we have also built “spaces” for our alumni to continually learn, evolve and grow, particularly as it relates to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. We have developed signature programs that create “ah ha” moments and impactful memories such as Mixin’ it Up, Professors in the Pub, EmPower Hour, the Alumnae Conference and the Changemakers Summit. These programs were inspired by Bruins that want better not only for themselves, but for all. I am also proud of how this program is able to be sensitive, nimble and actionable to support the needs and hopes of our beautiful Bruin community. From pulling off an alternative to a cancelled powwow, to celebrating our Freedom Riders, to supporting some of the first galas and benefits for our networks, to writing letters of support in the late hours of night to address a campus climate issue, we now have institutionalized a space to amplify and advocate. And I am extremely proud of that.
Sip and Share with Sahra Nguyen
Tell us about your experiences during COVID-19. What were you going through at the time (professionally, emotionally, mentally, physically) and what sorts of outlets or resources did you lean on to cope?
2020 was hard. The pairing of the pandemic and the national conversations on racial injustices was doubly hard. Hard because they are interconnected. I saw firsthand the racial disparities of the pandemic with the communities I served. Lost employment and lost loved ones are the heaviest that come to mind. More nuanced, it is interesting to be a diversity practitioner at this moment in our society. I could tell you two years ago, when someone asked what I did for a living, it would require a 10-20 minute explanation. Today, I simply say “I do diversity, equity and inclusion work” and people get it. It then follows with several “not to be offensive” type of questions, which I am always happy to answer as an educator who has dedicated her academic and professional career in this practice. It’s a privilege to be a part of anyone’s learning moments. At the same time, I could feel the divisiveness of racial lines. And, it began to not only impact my mind and work, but my heart and soul. I found community with former students, co-workers and family — in spaces of difference and sameness. Having these conversations with everyone was a way to cope, particularly with the wonderful staff I lead. Reading old and true books steeped in these similar moments of the past was most comforting, especially “This Bridge Called My Back: The Radical Writing of Women of Color.” I also utilized mental health services. It’s always great to be able to talk to a professional that is skilled in helping you see different perspectives. Lastly, outdoors was pure medicine. From mountain biking to dispel anger to fly fishing to meditate peacefully—couldn’t have made it through without time outside.
How were you able to support UCLA Alumni diversity volunteers during the first few months of the pandemic?
The DPI team pivoted quickly by identifying gaps in the programming that would be impacted by the lack of in-person events. We supported student-initiated yield by creating Diversity Insights Days, taking alumni to social media to connect with incoming classes. We also made sure our networks had the online resources to continue their programming, which was steeped in spaces to address mental health and to unpack the national conversations on racism. We created a nimble weekly newsletter, the Diversity Digest, to give our alumni that care about issues of social justice a platform to share their advocacy and activism. Lastly, we created Dial In Check In, and with the help of our CARE campus leaders, hosted spaces to process difficult national happenings from a mental health support space.
LAMBDA Event
What were your most challenging moments as Senior Director of Diversity Programs & Initiatives?
I’m always up for a challenge. I think that’s what Bruins do. Some of the most challenging moments are not logistical, but rather sociocultural. I think most would think about the sheer number of events our DPI staff helps support, organize and attend. But, I think the challenge is deeper than that. Working with such a diverse group of organizations and leaders, code-switching is a real skill you get to use and hone. My typical day would look something like troubleshooting a financial issue for Black alumni, brainstorming an event with our LGBTQ+ alumni, editing a newsletter for our Latino alumni, meeting with our Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, and ending the day going over my speaking points I’ll be covering at our Undocumented Alumni Association. I have had very “diverse” days. In being with so many different communities on a daily basis, I also witnessed daily impacts of racism and other forms of oppression. You see the disparate effects of how our institutions work on different communities. You see who’s at the table, and who has to force their way in with a folding chair. You see why someone may not believe in themselves given what society has told them. It’s maddening at times, and I still get mad after 15 years working in diversity, equity and inclusion. Most challenging, addressing internalized forms of oppression that manifest in Bruins. From imposter syndrome to internalized racism, there’s still a lot of work to be done not only in our society, but in our hearts. It’s why mentorship, community building, and institutionalization of resources for underserved communities is so important.
What message do you have for UCLA’s alumni as you transition into your new role?
It has been an honor to serve as a leader of this amazing alumni community. Not only am I professionally better for it, but personally as well. I will cherish relationships and friendships I have developed here, across time, across generations, across differences as gifts to the soul. Even if you have never engaged with your alma mater, I hope there will be a point in your life that you look back at your college years and find a way to perhaps channel that great memory, that important critique of your time, into something that makes the campus better for all of us.
