SUBJECT:

Appointment of Michael Diaz as Director of the Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination (OPHD) and Title IX Officer

We are pleased to announce that after an extensive national search, Michael Diaz has been appointed as the Director of the Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination (OPHD) and UC San Diego Title IX Officer effective February 3, 2020. In his role as director, Diaz will manage institutional compliance efforts for nondiscrimination, sexual harassment and sexual violence, developing effective prevention training and outreach efforts, and review and revise policies and procedures to ensure effective complaint resolution and response for all faculty, staff and students. Diaz will focus his efforts on ensuring that UC San Diego provides an inclusive and welcoming environment for students, staff and faculty, free from harassment and discrimination based on sex, race, and other protected categories under the law and university policies.

Diaz is an accomplished attorney with more than 17 years of experience in complex regulatory environments and government affairs, most recently as the Executive Associate Director and Title IX Coordinator for the Office of Access and Equity at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In his previous role, Diaz engaged campus and academic medical center partners and leadership to address culture and designed prevention strategies to pursue a culture of equality and respect.

Diaz has his JD from Loyola University of Chicago – School of Law and is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Policy and Organizational Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

OPHD's mission is to educate the UC San Diego community about issues of bias, harassment and discrimination and to assist with the prevention and resolution of these issues in a fair and responsible manner. OPHD works to resolve complaints of discrimination and harassment through formal investigation or alternative resolution; explains and clarifies university policies and procedures regarding discrimination, harassment and retaliation; collaborates with other UC San Diego offices in resolving complaints; and offers a variety of training programs and workshops in the prevention of sexual violence, sexual harassment and all forms of discrimination for students, faculty and staff.

Please join us in welcoming Michael Diaz to his new position at UC San Diego.

Please also join us in thanking Cherie Scricca for her service as interim director for this vital program. Dr. Scricca has served in this role since March 2019. Dr. Scricca provided excellent leadership during her tenure as interim director, and we appreciate all of her service to UC San Diego.

For more information on OPHD, please go to https://ophd.ucsd.edu.

Pradeep K. Khosla Chancellor Judith C. Bruner Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer