Campus Life

Multicultural and Diversity Affairs selects new APIA Affairs director

After a thorough national search, the University of Florida’s department of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs (MCDA) is pleased to announce that Jack Nguyen has been selected as Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs. He will start Monday, July 17.

Jack joins the UF family from The Ohio State University where he served as an Intercultural Specialist in the Student Life Multicultural Center. In that role, he oversaw the planning, development, and implementation of all Asian American intercultural programming to address and highlight six programmatic themes of education, health and wellness, social justice, interfaith/spirituality, social/community building, and service/community outreach. Prior to The Ohio State, he was a practicum student in the Academic Center and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and a graduate assistant in the Asian American Cultural Center at University of Connecticut. Hailing from Chicago, Jack earned his Bachelors of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations with minors in Asian Studies and Visual Communication from Loyola University Chicago. He holds a Master’s of Arts in Higher Education Student Affairs from University of Connecticut.

“We are thrilled to have Jack join the MCDA team and Gator Nation,” said Will Atkins, Executive Director of MCDA. “He brings perspective, knowledge, and energy that will serve the APIA community and university well. We look forward to supporting his vision for APIA Affairs.”

Through the search process, the Multicultural and Diversity Affairs brought two candidates to Gainesville for on-campus interviews. The finalists were strongly vetted through a review of stakeholder feedback, strengths/weaknesses provided by the search committee, and extensive reference checks with the candidates’ current and former employers and faculty members.

Jack is full of excitement to join UF. He “believe[s] wholeheartedly that we all can work towards creating an equitable society through understanding the basic questions of 'who am I', 'who are you', and 'who are we'.”

As part Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, APIA Affairs promotes a more critical understanding of APIA issues and identity while advocating for the needs of APIA community. By focusing on leadership development, providing educational dialogue focused on the complex heritage of Asian Pacific Islander Americans, and being a voice for the APIA community at UF, APIA Affairs empowers its community members to take a more active role in shaping their experiences at the University of Florida and beyond.

For the role of Director of APIA Affairs, Multicultural and Diversity Affairs sought an individual with strategic vision and leadership, strong communication skills, experience with advocacy, and a history of meaningful collaborations, among other attributes.

Sara Tanner Author
June 29, 2017