About - Staff - Student Diversity & Belonging

Picture of Jamie Patton

““The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

japatton@calpoly.edu

Dr. Jamie s. patton (he/him/his)

Interim director

Dr. Jamie S. Patton is responsible for developing, implementing and managing new programs and initiatives that advance diversity and inclusion at Cal Poly. As a division-wide leader and diversity officer, he provides direction and consultation for services and policies to ensure inclusive practices across all Student Affairs departments. In addition, he helps provide campus-wide support for diversity and inclusion efforts in partnership with the Office of University Diversity and Inclusivity.

A native of north Philadelphia, Dr. Patton is a first-generation college graduate with more than 15 years of experience as a higher education administrator. Prior to Cal Poly, he served as the Assistant Dean of Students for Ohio University, where he directed the Parent and Family Program, co-initiated programming to increase graduation and retention rates among African-American male students, and implemented social justice development workshops for Student Affairs staff. Dr. Patton found his passion for a career in Student Affairs at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, where he held student leadership roles as Vice President of the Student Cooperative Council, President of the Black Student Union and founder of the Distinguished Gentlemen. He later served in several positions during a nine-year period at Northern Arizona University, including Director of the Student Learning Centers and Director of Inclusion and Multicultural Services.

Educational Background

Doctor of Education- Northern Arizona University

Master of Education- Northern Arizona University

Bachelor of Arts in Communication - Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

Picture of Kristine Guzman

“The better we understand how identities and power work together from one context to another, the less likely our movements for change are to fracture.” - Kimberle W. Crenshaw

kguzma15@calpoly.edu

kristine a. guzman (She/hER/hERs)

Assistant Director, student Diversity and Belonging

As a first-generation college graduate and Latinx woman of color, Kristine’s lived experiences developed a nuanced understanding of marginalization and other systems of oppression and created in her a focused passion to protect, educate and uplift others that share these experiences. Kristine serves the Cal Poly community, through Student Diversity and Belonging (SDAB), in fostering an environment that is centered on inclusivity and community-building for all students navigating their intersectional identities and to have a strong sense of belonging. Kristine comes to Cal Poly from the Capital Region of NY where she worked
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) as the Assistant Dean of Students and served as Chair for the Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART).

Kristine’s time at RPI focused on student intervention and support,
advisement of identity-based student organizations, and policy-making for the Dean of Students to strengthen inclusion and accountability.

Educational Background

Masters in Public Affairs & Administration- Rutgers University-Newark

Bachelors in Social Work - Rutgers University-Newark

Picture of Christina Sholars Ortiz

“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once. But, don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own," - Michelle Obama

csholars@calpoly.edu

Christina Sholars Ortiz (she/her/hers)

Coordinator, black Academic excellence center

As a first-generation Black college student with progressive growth, Christina has worked toward becoming an accomplished leader by integrating, coordinating, and fostering student development. Christina credits the influence of becoming empowered to contribute to providing transformative and empowering educational experiences with the encouragement and guidance received by the Black staff, faculty, and administrators at Cuesta College.

She further credits her mother’s passion for education and her work as a bilingual elementary school aide for inspiring her to create a safe, diverse, and dynamic learning experience to empower students to accomplish their goals. Previously, Christina served as the Program Coordinator for the Cal Poly Scholars Program. At Cuesta College, she served as the Financial Aid Specialist and liaison for the Monarch Dream Center, an assistant to the CalWorks, Foster Youth, and EOPS/CARE (CaFE), and an assistant to the Counseling department.

She Christina serves the Cal Poly community, as the advisor for the Black Student Union, a member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association, and a member of the Chicano/Latino Faculty and Staff Association.

Educational Background

Master of Science in Higher Education Counseling/Student Affairs- Cal Poly (in progress)

Bachelor of Arts in General Students, Business and Management - Columbia College

Associate of Arts in Business Administration - Cuesta College

COMING SOON

Dream Center

Ila moncrief (They/he/she)

Coordinator - Gender Equity Center

Ila is a Cal Poly alum dedicated to providing affirming spaces and connections for LGBTQ+ and marginalized folks across campus and San Luis Obispo. Originally from the Bay Area, they obtained a degree in Political Science and a minor in City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly in 2022. Their enduring love for cities inspires their framework for equitable access to resources and space.

They began working with the LGBTQ+ community in their third year with the Cal Poly Pride Center, nurturing a radical praxis for activism and belonging through their involvement with the Gala Pride and Diversity Center. They served on the Gala board for two years and as chair for the Tranz Central Coast committee from 2022-2023. As a coordinator and community member, they aim to uplift the trans and non-binary community and serve as an advocate to all womxn, feminine, and gender non-conforming people. They continue the GEC's mission to address patriarchal structures through expansive intersectional programming and resources. Their vision is to develop the Gender Equity Center into a source of empowerment and knowledge that affords students the creativity and space to learn and grow together.

COMING SOON

coordinator - latinx initiatives

David Gudiel

Coordinator - men & Masculinities

Coming soon

COORDINATOR - MULTICULTURAL CENTER

Photo of Cheryl Flores

“Culture is ultimately lost when we stop telling the stories of who we are, where we have been, how we arrived here, what we once knew, what we wish we knew; when we stop our retelling of the past, our imagining of our future, and the long, long task of inventing an identity every single second of our lives.
Culture is lost when we neglect to tell our stories, when we forget the power and craft of storytelling.” - Deborah A. Miranda

cflore53@calpoly.edu

CHERYL FLORES (She/her/hers)

coordinator - native american and indigenous cultural center

Cheryl is a descendant of the Wixárika people of México. She grew up in California's Central Valley on unceded Yokut lands, and currently resides on unceded ytt Northern Chumash lands of California's Central Coast.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Ethnic Studies and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She is pursuing a master's degree in the Educational Leadership and Administration Program at Cal Poly.

In her work in student affairs, she emphasizes the importance of supporting first-generation students in recognizing their intersecting identities and how this influences their college experience. She is particularly intent on supporting Native and Indigenous students, their pathways to college, and cultural approaches to their academic success. She works to create a space where Indigenous Peoples can build their knowledge, skills, capacity, and empowerment as future leaders.

She also works as an Indigenous food revitalist collecting her own family's recipes and advocating for Native and Indigenous students to have access to their traditional foods on campus. She enjoys listening to music, going to the beach, hiking, and reading in her free time.

“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” - Marsha P. Johnson

agarc597@calpoly.edu

Agustin Garcia Badillo (They/Them/Theirs)

coordinator - Pride Center

Agustin Garcia Badillo oversees the Pride Center. A few identities that have molded their pedagogy when working alongside minoritized people is being a Reconnecting-Indigenous person, navigating most of their education as Undocumented, and being Non-Binary. It’s important to mention that they were born in a Latin American country but raised and socialized in East Los Angeles for the majority of their life. In terms of their education, they received a bachelor's degree from Cal State LA in Sociology with an Emphasis in Inequalities and Diversities and a minor in Child Development. Most recently, they attended the University of Southern California where they received a Master's degree in Educational Counseling.

They’ve worked alongside many historically marginalized communities (LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, Low-Income, Undocumented, people with Disabilities, and First-Generation students) and together they’ve tackled external issues that communities have internalized or dealt with. They’ve accomplished the work of dealing with trauma through therapy, other holistic forms of healing, mentoring, and programming. .

Their goal here as the Pride Center Coordinator is to create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ folks especially those with intersecting identities (BIPOC, Undocumented, people with Disabilities, etc) to live and speak their truth as they wish. They also hope to build a support system that transcends beyond a room, center, and university. They plan on accomplishing this through equity minded practices and leading from a place of love. It takes a community to build or re-build something and the work starts within ourselves.

Educational Background

Master of Education – University of Southern California

Bachelor of Arts – California State University, Los Angeles

Picture of Nevan Bell

Nevan Bell (he/him/his)

Graduate student fellow

Nevan helps support the Cal Poly Cultural Centers and SDAB initiatives to provide holistic and genuine support to students, in order to ensure their success on and off campus. In working with individuals with a variety of intersectional identities to create holistic wellness and awareness to their communities’ narratives, Nevan has found his long-term passion of working with students to help reshape the way college communities have been inequitably structured.

Prior to Cal Poly, Nevan served as a coordinator for the Men of Color Alliance at California State University, Monterey Bay where he worked with the student members to create spaces and opportunities for men of color to succeed within the higher education system. Being motivated by his personal experiences and identities, he also worked with abolitionist groups to research how a sense of safety and belonging is impacted by police in college communities. Additionally, he has aided in facilitating conversations and action around the creation of Latinx and Pride cultural centers, which are close to his heart.

He enjoys working with groups and coalitions that focus around Latinx and LGBTQIA+ communities in his communities. In his free time, you can find him hiking, drinking coffee, or listening to and playing music.

ashollow@calpoly.edu

Ashlee Holloway (She/her/hers)

Coordinator for Student Affairs Diversity and Inclusion Administration and Special Projects

Ashlee organizes and implements administrative systems and procedures while also assisting The Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs. In addition, Ashlee supports the Student Diversity and Belonging Department with day-to-day operations of the office.

Ashlee found that working in the service of equity is a personal passion and an area she wishes to advocate for the students of Cal Poly and beyond. Ashlee hopes to serve the community here as a resource and ally and is always eager to learn and engage in ideas of inclusion.

Audience Nav

Student Diversity & Belonging

Division of Student Affairs

COMING SOON

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