Vice-Chancellor & Chief Diversity
Dr. Delia Saenz is a Texan by birth, a social psychologist by training, and a Chicana by heritage. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Princeton University and has held administrative and faculty appointments at Arizona State University, Bennington College, and Notre Dame University. Dr. Saenz’ areas of expertise include organizational effectiveness, group processes, social identity, and culture. Across her career, her scholarly work, teaching, and service have advanced the understanding of difference as a social concept, and the optimization of learning and working in diverse, multi-level contexts. Dr. Saenz has been recognized for her contributions to the broadening of participation of underrepresented populations across educational and work domains. In addition, she has been recognized numerous times for outstanding teaching and mentoring, and for significant contributions to the professional development of students of color. Dr. Saenz has received grants from the National Science Foundation, the US Agency for International Development, the National Institutes of Health, the Ford Foundation, Google, and others. She joins the UC Merced family from Arizona State University, where she served as Chief Diversity Officer for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
