Dear E&I Colleagues,
It is with a mixture of sadness and pride that I write to announce that Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff for the Division of Equity & Inclusion, Dr. Mia Settles-Tidwell will be leaving UC Berkeley on November 1st. She has accepted the position of Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and University Diversity Officer at Sacramento State University. It was a very challenging decision for Mia, who has deep ties to Berkeley as an alumna, mentor, colleague, and administrator.
Mia was hired as the AVC and chief of staff in April 2016, and served with former Vice Chancellors Na’ilah Nasir (2016-17), Oscar Dubón, Jr. (2017-2021), and supported my transition as vice chancellor this summer. Mia and I quickly bonded, and I was able to witness her brilliance and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice.
During her tenure, Mia has made significant contributions to the campus and multiple communities. Through her leadership, she supported the reorganization of the division to align and strengthen the mission and impact, developed an implementation plan for the African American Initiative, co-led the opening of the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center; and a liaison between students and the administration throughout space negotiations with bridges. Mia also facilitated and consulted with students and staff on navigating between bureaucracy while co-constructing strategic actions toward sustained change.
Over the past five years, Mia has led, co-led, co-chaired, and been a member of numerous committees including the system-wide UC Black Administrators Council, Disability Strategy Team, the campus Joint Budget Committee, and multiple diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. She also co-led the development of the Black Leaders’ Collective and the Chief Administrative Officers’ Leading for Equity group.
Mia co-authored several campus reports including the Undergraduate Diversity Student Project on Campus Experience, Chancellor’s Task Force on Becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution - Report to Chancellor Carol Christ, and the 2019- 2020 Independent Advisory Board on Police Accountability and Community Safety annual report. She also co-developed toolkits to address the changing landscape of higher education during COVID-19 including Creating a Healthy Virtual Campus Environment, Return to Campus with Equity, Equity-based Budgeting, and An Equity Lens on Recovery Management.
Mia describes herself as an “At the Table Activist” and has actualized this identity through her advocacy for the underserved. She exemplifies an unwavering commitment to improving the human condition by using her position of influence to elevate the voices of those who have been silenced, made invisible, and marginalized through the application of innovative strategies resulting in greater organizational and structural equity. Mia will be greatly missed.
I will be launching a search for our next AVC and chief of staff. It is an important job that touches many areas in the division and across the campus. I have asked AVC Fabrizio Mejia to take on some parts of this role on an interim basis while we conduct the search. I am also looking for interim project-based support within the Division. If you are interested in this role or know someone who you think would be a valuable partner, please send a cover letter and resume/CV to vcei@berkeley.edu. I have no doubt that we will find a very strong candidate to fill this gap.
Please join me in congratulating Mia and wishing her well at Sac State.
With you,
Dania Matos, J.D.
Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion
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