Meet the Team

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Loyola Marymount University
One LMU Drive, Xavier Hall 111
Los Angeles, CA  90045
(310) 338-7744
DEI@lmu.edu 

Emelyn A. dela Peña, Ed.D.

Emelyn dela Pena

she, her, hers
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(310) 338-7744 | emelyn.delapena@lmu.edu

Emelyn is Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Loyola Marymount University, where she serves on the President's Cabinet and oversees the university's Anti-Racism and DEI efforts. She also serves as the university ombudsperson. Emelyn has spent almost three decades as an administrator and teacher. Prior to LMU, she served as Associate Vice Provost for Inclusion, Community & Integrative Learning at Stanford University, was Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of the Center for Diversity & Inclusion at Washington University in St. Louis, served as the inaugural Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Harvard College, and was a Campus Diversity Officer and Director of the Women’s Center at the University of California, San Diego.

She has presented and taught nationally on social justice, gender, and diversity issues and has co-authored “Paying homage to college and university women’s centers: gender justice work in the center for diversity and inclusion” in University and College Women’s and Gender Equity Centers: The Changing Landscape, “From Slavery to SlutWalk: Brown Bodies and the Misguided Politics of Sexual Agency” in the Critical Black Studies Reader, “Social Justice Leadership: Silos to Synergies” in Culturally Responsive Leadership in Higher Education, and “Emergent Approaches to Diversity and Social Justice Work in Higher Education” in Teaching Diversity.

Emelyn brings an intersectional approach to diversity and social justice work and is particularly influenced by the third space theory and practice of queer women of color. She holds a doctor of education from a joint University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University, and California State University, San Marcos program. She earned a master’s degree in postsecondary educational leadership from San Diego State University, and a bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies from University of California, San Diego. She is a native of Los Angeles and currently lives in Ladera Heights with her dog Jimmy Choo.

Seal Flores-Valleyfield

Seal Flores-Valleyfield

they, them, theirs
Senior Administrative Coordinator
(310) 258-4611 | seal.flores@lmu.edu 

Seal Flores-Valleyfield became a member of the LMU community in September of 2017. A Minnesota native, Seal moved to Los Angeles from Milwaukee, WI where they worked at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as an administrative assistant and undergraduate program coordinator. In total, they have worked in post-secondary education for almost 9 years. Seal is a fellow cat enthusiast. They also enjoy swimming, music, food, biking, traveling, and otters. Seal is a non-binary, agender person and their pronouns are they, them, theirs.

 

 

Joseph Bernardo, Ph.D.

Joe Bernardo

he, him, his
Director, DEI Capacity Building 
(310) 338-1698 | joseph.bernardo@lmu.edu

Joe joined Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2015 and currently runs DEI’s leadership development programs: Leading Institutional Units and Programs | Inclusive Excellence and Senior Vice President Fellows.  He also manages LMU’s Implicit Bias Initiative.  Prior to coming to LMU, he worked in several sectors including government, philanthropy, and non-profit.  Joe holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Washington, an M.A. in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara.  He continues to be active in the Asian/Filipino American community.  In his free time, Joe likes to play basketball, go fishing, and practice Filipino Martial Arts and yoga.

 

Jamal Epperson

they, them
Assistant Director, DEI Initiatives 
(310) 258-7966 | jamal.epperson@lmu.edu

Jamal Epperson (they/them) joined the LMU community in 2019 and joined the DEI team in 2022. As the Assistant Director of DEI Initiatives, Jamal works with various initiatives throughout DEI, such as Implicit Bias and the LMU Antiracism Workshop Series. In addition, Mx. Epperson serves as a liaison between HR and DEI by assisting with equitable recruitment and hiring practices for faculty and staff. Before this role, Jamal worked in various capacities in the Student Housing Office and Student Affairs, where they learned to center their work from a feminist abolitionist framework by promoting radical love. Jamal is currently a doctoral student at the University of San Francisco studying International Multicultural Education with a concentration in Human Rights Education and a minor in Organization & Leadership. Prior to their studies at USF, they received their M.Ed. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Marquette University and a B.A. from Western Michigan University in Music and Psychology. Outside of work, Jamal volunteers at Centinela Youth Services as a Restorative Justice facilitator, is a Capricorn sun, rising Scorpio, and Aries moon, and enjoys writing music, playing video games, traveling, thrift shopping, and annoying their dog Nico.

Sam Hsu Davis

photo of Samantha Davis

she, her, hers
Strategic Project Associate
(310) 258-7962 | samantha.davis@lmu.edu

Sam joined the LMU DEI team in 2023, where she supports the VP for DEI, Emelyn dela Peña and the Director of DEI Research, Evaluation, and Grants, Kim Misa, in implementing LMU’s strategic projects, including LMU’s Strategic Plan and the Anti-Racism Project. Sam partners with the Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives and other stakeholders across the university to further the strategic goals and objectives of the supported offices. Before LMU, Sam spent several years as an engineer and project manager at Raytheon Technologies and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Sam is mom to her cat Tobin, is an Aries sun, Aquarius moon, Scorpio rising, and is an ESFJ. She loves food, animals, Ted Lasso, and being active, and her love languages are words of affirmation and acts of service. In her free time, Sam can be found at hot yoga or pilates, at LA Kings, Angel City FC, or Dodgers games, or at home having a Netflix day/watching trash reality TV with her tolerant husband.

Steven Neal

Steven Neal

Director, Academic Community of Excellence
(310) 338-7826 | steven.neal@lmu.edu

Steven Neal is the director of the Academic Community of Excellence program at LMU. He develops and oversees educational services that support the graduate and professional school aspirations of underrepresented students. He also teaches courses that offer strategies and tools to prepare for, apply to, and enroll in master's and doctorate degree programs. Some of his greatest rewards include investing in the educational futures of ACE students and celebrating their collegiate and postgraduate achievements. Steven earned an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University, an M.Div. from The Master’s Seminary, and a B.A. in English from San Diego State University.

 

 

Matt Morris

Graduate Research Assistant

SFTV '23

Anna Oguoma-Richards

Anna Oguoma-Richards picture

Graduate Research Assistant

SFTV

Anna Oguoma-Richards worked as a graduate assistant in the office of DEI and joined the team in 2022; her time in the office has been expansive, helping the team with TRHT and many more programs, Story Circles, and the importance of its facilitation, assisting in Ignition Institute Leadership courses and more. Oguoma-Richards is a screenwriter in the Loyola Marymount University Writing for the Screen Graduate Program and primarily focuses on creating stories that showcase the beauty and realism in the face of tribulation. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2021, where she studied Entertainment and Media Studies with experiential knowledge in screenwriting, directing, and producing and minored in African/African American Studies. She is a first-generation Nigerian raised in the United Kingdom; her identity plays a vital role in her storytelling, imploring her mind to spin facts into creative content that poses vital zeitgeist questions. 

Kenny Pratt

Kenny Pratt picture

Undergraduate Assistant

CFA '26
Marketing

Kenny Pratt joined the DEI team in 2023 as an undergraduate assistant. He works to create various marketing and recruiting materials for use at events such as the Black Doctoral Network. He also updates databases of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges or Universities), HACUs (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities), and other institutions to maintain relationships between the DEI office and academic programs at universities across the country. Kenny is a marketing student at LMU's College of Business Administration and has a passion for using his imagination to produce creative work that is authentic to himself. He works as a freelance video director and editor for brands and artists. His hobbies include watching soccer, listening to funk music, and traveling.