Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Liz Garza-Guidara is a senior Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader, a social justice advocate, a US Air Force veteran, and a female Korean American adopted by an Italian American family. She is also married to a wonderful man from Mexico. Her background alone made DEI not only deeply personal to her, but also a lived truth throughout her entire life. Liz lived and worked in 4 different countries on 4 different continents, which equipped her with a deep understanding of patterns of oppression in a variety of cultural contexts. She experienced and actively challenged racism and sexism during her time abroad and in the US. Liz’s time abroad was enriched by the expertise on race, power, and privilege that she obtained from both of her Master’s degrees.

Liz has a proven track record of successfully implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives. Liz fostered an inclusive climate for a 500-member organization by launching a gender equality program and serving as a facilitator and a keynote speaker. Amid the spike in racially motivated violence from 2020 until the present in the US, Liz served as a spokesperson at her organization’s racial injustice workshops. Additionally, Liz served as a keynote speaker for 300-person audiences during Women’s History Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month. By highlighting the structural nature of oppression, she helped everyone to better understand how implicit bias is systematically reinforced in institutions and in society. Liz also set the stage for a more inclusive environment from a physical infrastructure standpoint. As the design lead for international spaces within her previous organization’s new $320 million headquarters building, she enhanced international collaboration and strengthened 20 international partnerships.

Liz is a fearless trailblazer. Whether she was launching a mentorship program for socioeconomically disadvantaged Afro-Colombian girls in Cartagena, Colombia or acting in a bilingual theatrical production in Florence, Italy dedicated to promoting gender equality, Liz has consistently demonstrated her commitment to posing challenging questions, engaging in courageous conversations, and offering strategic ways forward. All of these interlocking experiences in tandem with a surge in racially motivated violence in the US from 2020 until now inspired Liz to be even more vocal about systems and modes of power, privilege, and oppression. Liz’s passion for social justice is her modus operandi, which ranges from leading racial injustice workshops to facilitating working groups and addressing microaggressions.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
2011 – Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Prelaw at the University of MD Baltimore County, magna cum laude
2017 – Project Manager Professional Certification at the Project Management Institute
2018 – Master of Arts in International Relations at American Military University, magna cum laude
2022 – Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies at Florida International University, summa cum laude
2022 – Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Certificate at the University of Cambridge School of Executive Education
2022 – Associate Professional in Human Resources at the Human Resources Certification Institute