Dr. Lida Rafia is a social justice educator and equity practitioner who is passionate about helping people, teams and organizations create cultural transformational through an equity and inclusion lens. She has over 12 years of experience in higher education, leading strategic change in community colleges in various leadership capacities that have included program and curricula design, training and facilitation, strategic planning, and organizational development.
Born in Tehran, Iran, her family migrated between Iran and the United States throughout her youth. Growing up with one foot firmly in the American experience and the other immersed in her Iranian heritage, she was eventually able to reconcile the seemingly disparate cultures and embrace her identity as an Iranian-American.
Dr. Rafia previously served as dean of student success and equity at Grossmont College. In this role, she worked collaboratively to build consensus across constituency groups to advance student success, and foster an inclusive environment to positively impact policies, practices, and culture. She currently resides in San Diego with her partner and their son.
Education
Ph.D. (Adult and Higher Educational Leadership) | Oregon State University
M.A. (Educational Leadership and Policy) | Portland State University
Past Experience
Dean of Student Success and Equity | Grossmont College