Amanda Linsenmeyer, a CU Boulder staff member for 19 years, has been named interim senior director for the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.
Linsenmeyer, who has been the center’s director for intercultural engagement since 2019, will maintain that role and also assume some of the responsibilities held by Dyonne Bergeron, who became acting vice provost and associate vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion within the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE) on Jan. 1.
“I believe that Amanda has the skill set needed to lead CISC. Her extensive experience with campus partners has helped students, faculty and staff work together to make excellence inclusive,” Bergeron said.
The center, which is part of ODECE, provides high-impact, transformational community-building and educational programs, and nurtures student leaders grounded in the core concepts of intersectional identity development, diversity, equity and social justice. The center’s offices include the Education and Social Change Office, First-Generation Programs and Enrichment Office, Intercultural Engagement Office and Pride Office.
Linsenmeyer said she has a passion for justice and equity, and for helping students learn, develop and grow. “We want to create a space for students to bring their whole selves and experience a sense of belonging, build community across difference and engage in transformational educational opportunities,” she said.
Linsenmeyer is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and grew up in Aurora and the San Francisco Bay area. She earned a BAS in Native American Studies and neurobiology, physiology and behavioral science from the University of California Davis and an MA in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona.
As an undergraduate, Linsenmeyer worked for the UC Davis Cross Cultural Center and began a life-long practice of building community and solidarity across difference. Since 2003, she has held various positions in different units at CU Boulder, including the Dennis Small Cultural Center and the Women’s Resource Center.