Dr. Judy Marquez Kiyama is a professor in the Center for the Study of Higher Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice, at the University of Arizona. Dr. Kiyama is a community-engaged scholar with nearly 25 years experience in research, practice, and administration. She works to interrogate systems of power that perpetuate inequities for minoritized communities and is committed to understanding the cultural and collective resources drawn upon to confront and (re)shape such systems. It is through this collective work that Dr. Kiyama believes we can affect equitable change at organizational, local, state, and national levels.
Working alongside Latinx/o/a families and communities are at the core of Dr. Kiyama’s research efforts. Her research is organized in three interconnected areas: the role of parents and families; equity and power in educational research; and minoritized groups as collective networks of change. Dr. Kiyama’s most recent administrative role as the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development within the Office of Faculty Affairs offered the opportunity to implement efforts that furthered the aims of the University of Arizona to excel in its Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) designation. Dr. Kiyama served in this role from 2020-2023, and furthered efforts around equity-focused faculty recruitment, and hiring practices; and developing faculty capacity in research, teaching and curriculum, and service, including creating and overseeing the Culturally Responsive Curriculum Development Institute.
Prior to serving in this role, Dr. Kiyama was Chair of the Higher Education Department at the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. Additionally, she served as the College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Fellow where she established a comprehensive plan for recruiting, hiring, and retaining faculty of color. Dr. Kiyama has been as a faculty member at both the University of Denver and the University of Rochester, where she partnered with organizations like RISE Colorado (Aurora, CO) and the Ibero-American Action League (Rochester, NY) to understand and ensure equitable educational opportunities for Latinx/o/a immigrant and refugee communities.
As a first-generation, Mexican American college student, she draws on her own experiences with her family to connect with the sources of support that first-generation, families of color offer their students in the transition to college. She is a three-time graduate of the University of Arizona, earning her bachelors, masters, and PhD from UArizona, and a proud former participant of both the New Start Summer Program and TRiO Student Support Services.
