“We're immensely proud of our growing Thriving Initiatives team, reflecting our own efforts to build a sustainable infrastructure for this work. These roles signify a crucial step forward in uniting the collective efforts and aspirations of our past and present. We acknowledge with gratitude the labor of the many it took to arrive at this point in community and the many it will take to continue these transformative efforts,” shared UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Dania Matos.
In these inaugural roles, our Directors of Thriving will be instrumental in assessing organizational and strategic issues within their respective initiatives. They will provide invaluable guidance through facilitating assessments, strategic planning, and implementing sustainable approaches to enhance institutional performance and achieve key milestones. Along with the Director of Engagement of Asian American and Pacific Islander Thriving Strategy, Dr. Lisa S. Hirai Tsuchitani (she/her), their consultative approach with leaders, departments, and committees will ensure systematic and impactful improvements aligned with our overall Thriving Initiative strategies.
“We are thrilled to welcome Takiyah, Liliana, and Phenocia to our Thriving Initiatives. These leaders represent an important moment—bringing together the wealth of work accomplished over the years and amplifying voices from our present community. Their leadership will honor the spirit and collaboration needed to keep the collective progress and possibility of Thriving moving forward,” says Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Elisa Diana Huerta.
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Takiyah Jackson, Director of Thriving for African American Thriving Initiatives (AATI)Takiyah Jackson (she/her) is the Director of African American Student Development and the Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center at UC Berkeley. She also co-chairs UC Berkeley’s African American Initiative Steering Committee and has been a leader on campus for the African American Initiative since it was actively launched in 2017. Takiyah works with campus leadership to look at transformative strategies using an equity, inclusion, justice and belonging lens. As the leader of the Black community on campus, Takiyah works with departments and programs across campus to ensure that belonging is threaded through the institution for Black people. She also serves on numerous campus committees aimed at improving and transforming the campus culture and climate. In addition to her leadership roles at the African American Student Development, Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center, and the African American Initiative, Takiyah serves as a consultant to many other institutions across the nation as they are looking to build a similar structure to the one she has created to support Black community members at UC Berkeley. Born and raised in Seattle, Takiyah has been passionately involved in her community for over 20 years through education, social justice, community engagement, and athletics. Her earlier work in education includes leadership in state policy boards, comprehensive counseling and development programs, career readiness planning, equity programming and professional development programming and facilitation. Takiyah also leads a community group that has provided resources for students and families for over 15 years. She is a whole-person advocate and has worked with schools to incorporate social justice and social-emotional learning and support into the fabric of their schools. In 2012, She was appointed by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire to the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board and re-appointed for a second term by Governor Jay Inslee in 2014. In her gubernatorial appointment, her work included regulatory policy-making and oversight of Washington’s system of educator preparation, certification, continuing education and assignment, program implementation of legislatively mandated programs, advocate for policy, programs and resources for students and educators, and strategic advisor to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Takiyah graduated from UCLA in the year 2000 and received her master’s degree in Education and Counseling from Seattle Pacific University in 2003. In 2009 she received her National Board Certification in Counseling. Takiyah was a member of the UCLA women’s basketball team that won the Pac-10 championship and made it to the NCAA tournament elite eight in 1999. She was also a 1995 Nike, Gatorade, Street& Smiths, Parade Magazine and WBCA First Team All-American. Takiyah’s proudest accomplishment is being a mother to her 6 year old son, Weston, who has been a constant presence on the UC Berkeley campus since he was born. |
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Liliana Iglesias, Director of Thriving for Latinx Thriving Initiatives (LTI)Liliana Iglesias (she/her/ella) proudly identifies herself as the daughter of immigrant parents from Zacatecas and Jalisco, Mexico. Raised in Carson, CA, she graduated from Berkeley as a first-generation college student. Commencing her professional journey at Berkeley nine years ago within the Undocumented Student Program as an Academic Counselor, Liliana has remained dedicated to supporting students using a multicultural, social justice-oriented, student-centered, and strengths-based lens. Her commitment extends to fostering a more inclusive environment for underrepresented communities at Berkeley. In her role as the Director of Thriving for LTI, Liliana eagerly anticipates collaborating with students, staff, and faculty across campus to realize Berkeley's promise of inclusivity and equity. Additionally, Liliana currently serves as the Assistant Director of Access and Opportunity Programs at the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), overseeing the Educational Opportunity Program, Undocumented Student Program, and Berkeley Hope Scholars, while also leading the Undocumented Student Program. Moreover, this year, she chairs ALIANZA, the Latinx/Chicanx staff organization on campus. With a Master's in Educational Counseling from the University of Southern California, Liliana is presently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Social Justice at Cal State East Bay. Outside of her professional and academic pursuits, Liliana finds joy in quality time with her son, family, and friends. She relishes attending concerts and exploring nature through hikes. [READ] In Focus: Empowering Latinx students to reach their potential |
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Phenocia Bauerle, Director of Thriving for Native American Thriving Initiatives (NATI)Phenocia Bauerle (she/they) is the Director of Native American Student Development (NASD) and the Native Community Center (NCC). A member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe, she is a sixth generation descendant of Sits in the Middle of the Land, and a fifth generation descendant of Mountain Chief (Piegan). She had the privilege of working with her grandfather on editing a collection of Crow stories, The Way of the Warrior: Stories of the Crow People (2002). She has had the good fortune of being part of a rich cultural heritage and strong family grounded in the belief systems and worldview of the Apsáalooke people, one of which is being a good relative. Previously, she worked as director of the Diversity Awareness Office at Montana State University, and came to UC Berkeley a decade ago as the first professional staff hired in Native American Student Development. In her time at the helm of NASD, she has been part of many efforts to further Native issues, including leading the organization of the first UC Berkeley Tribal Forum (2017), bringing over 100 tribal members and representatives to UC Berkeley campus to discuss Berkeley’s history and possibilities and partnerships moving forward. Phenocia was part of a faculty and staff group that worked with the Graduate Assembly to secure an MOU for temporary space in Anthony Hall to create the Native Community Center, a first of its kind community space on campus, which opened under her leadership in the fall of 2021. She takes great care in working to support Native students in their personal and educational pursuits, and sees each student as a seed for future justice. Professionally, she has a commitment to institutional transformation in whatever shape the work takes. In 2019, She was an inaugural member of the UC President's Native American Advisory Council and currently serves as Chair, and also chairs the Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention Working Group which was responsible for offering the recommendation and rationale for UCOP adding Native American/Alaska Native citizenship information to the undergraduate application, the first public university system in the nation to do so. She has served in many advisory positions around Native American issues across campus, including serving as a member of the Native American Initiative Steering Committee. Currently, Phenocia serves on the Chancellor's Native American Advisory Council and has served on the UC Berkeley NAGPRA committee since 2018. |
The Thriving Initiatives team is grateful to UC Berkeley Student Affairs and the Student Experience and Diversity (SED) team at University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR) for their support and partnership. To learn more about these dynamic leaders and the Thriving Initiatives they'll be guiding by visiting thriving.berkeley.edu.
