Dr. Gina Garcia

Biography

Gina Ann Garcia is a Professor at the Berkeley School of Education, where she explores issues of equity and justice in higher education. She is an organizational theorist focused on how Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) enact organizational identity to serve Latine/x students and other minoritized populations. Dr. Garcia uses qualitative methods including case studies, interviews, and participatory research to examine how organizations can change to better serve predominantly white and minoritized populations. A critical scholar, she employs a race-conscious, equity-minded approach to empower historically marginalized groups and create liberatory educational experiences at colleges and universities. Colleagues have coined the term "servingness" to frame her research on HSIs and their organizational structures. She is the author of several significant works including "Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities," which won the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Book of the Year Award in 2020. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Garcia delivers numerous public lectures and workshops, consults directly with HSIs to promote organizational transformation, and is the host of the popular podcast "¿Qué pasa, HSIs?" Dr. Garcia also founded the Higher Education Action Research Transformation Lab, known as HEART, to conduct action-based research that informs higher education practice and policy.

Research Interests