About

Mission

Student Diversity & Social Justice advocates with a diverse student population to amplify and affirm student’s identities through an intersectional framework to promote student success. We are a student-centered office committed to educating, empowering, and developing UNLV students as leaders to recognize and address societal injustices.

Vision

Student Diversity & Social Justice (SDSJ) will provide transformative experiences to create a campus free of oppression and trauma through intentional engagement.

Staff

Zainub Cementwala

APIME & International Program Coordinator
Zainub Cementwala
Zainub Cementwala (she/her/hers) currently serves as the APIME & International Program Coordinator in the office of Student Diversity & Social Justice. She holds an M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from New York University, and a B.A. in English with an Education minor from the University of California, Berkeley. A child of Indian Muslim immigrants, Zainub speaks Gujarati and...
More

Romeo Jackson

Assistant Director for Social Justice
A man wearing blue lipstick
Romeo Jackson (they/them/theirs) currently serves as the Assistant Director for Social Justice. Hailing from the southside of Chicago and the grandchild of Gracie Lee Fowler, Romeo Jackson is a 1st generation, Queer, Non-Binary Femme, and a Black descendant of the estimated 11 million Africans who were kidnapped and sold into enslavement. They are a feminist dedicated to intersectional justice...
More

Mirella Jasso

Graduate Assistant for Social Justice Programs
Mirella Jasso
Mirella Jasso (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Graduate Assistant for Social Justice Programs. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and is currently in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters Program at UNLV. As a first-generation student of two LatinX parents she personally understands the struggle of being a college student and the...
More

Ericka Muñoz

Office Manager
Ericka Muñoz
Ericka Muñoz (she/her/hers) serves as the office manager for Student Diversity & Social Justice, Service Learning & Leadership, and Student Involvement & Activities. Ericka manages the business and administrative operations, the main point of contact for general issues and requests regarding offices and is the communications liaison for all office programs within the departments.
More

Ash Quinn

Graduate Assistant for Education & Outreach
Ash Quinn
Ash Quinn (they/them/theirs) currently serves as the Graduate Assistant for Education & Outreach. Through this role, they create the curriculum for the diversity-related training programs that Student Diversity & Social Justice offers and works with a team of Peer Educators to facilitate these sessions and dialogues to the campus community, ranging from classrooms to student organizations...
More

Alex Romero

Latinx Program Coordinator
Alex Romero Headshot
Alex Romero is responsible for supporting UNLV's LatinX students and organizations through programs and resources. Specific programs that he is responsible for include, but not limited to, LatinX History Month Planning Committee, Dia De Lxs Muertxs, Men of Color Initiatives, Cultural Leadership Retreat, LatinX Activism Week, and the LatinX Student Alliance. Along with programs, Alex has a team of...
More

Kayla Tanaid

Native American Program Coordinator
Kayla Tanaid
Kayla Tanaid (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Native American Program Coordinator. As the Native American Program Coordinator, she serves UNLV’s Native American and Indigenous student communities and is responsible for creating programs, facilitating student workshops, and providing resources with the goal of affirming, educating, and empowering students. Kayla is also responsible for...
More

Samantha Varn

Graduate Assistant for Program Assessment
Samantha Varn
Samantha Varn (she/her/hers) serves as the Graduate Assistant for Program Assessment. She holds a BA in Communication Arts, from Marymount Manhattan College and is currently enrolled in the Master of Social Work Program at UNLV. A first-generation college student who took a 20-year break between her undergraduate and graduate studies and she is excited to be a part of the UNLV community.
More

Mary Whitehead, Ph.D.

Director
Mary Whitehead
Mary Whitehead (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Director in the office of Student Diversity & Social Justice. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, M.Ed. in Higher Education and Administration from Loyola University Chicago, and a B.A. in Communication with a Human Resource Development minor from Northeastern Illinois University. Reigning from the Windy City...
More

Emily Willis-Almaguer

Graduate Assistant for Intercultural Programs
Emily Willis-Almaguer
Emily Willis-Almaguer (she/her/hers) serves as the Graduate Assistant for Intercultural Programs. Emily graduated in 2016 with a B.A in Psychology and is currently in the last year of her Master's program through the UNLV School of Social Work. She currently serves as the co-advisor for Students Organizing Diversity Activities (SODA), which focuses on planning and implementing programs and...
More

Kevin Wright, Ed.D.

Assistant Director for Student Diversity
Kevin Wright
Kevin L. Wright (he/him/his) currently serves as the inaugural Assistant Director for Student Diversity in the Office of Student Diversity & Social Justice. Kevin is responsible for overseeing departmental initiatives that can create positive institutional and systemic change while centering and empowering those who hold historically marginalized identities. Kevin has previously worked in...
More