SUNY Vice Chancellor Visits Saranac Lake campus
Sept. 25, 2023
SARANAC LAKE -- The college welcomed Dr. Ricardo Nazario-Colon, SUNY's Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer, to our Saranac Lake campus on Monday, Sept. 25.
Dr. Nazario-Colon toured the campus, and met with students, faculty and staff. He
talked about SUNY's commitment to DEI priorities and how students can practice and
advance these commitments in their lives and communities.
Dr. Nazario-Colón was hired in May. He was born in the South Bronx, New York, and raised in the highlands of Puerto Rico. He is an accomplished administrator with more than 30 years of experience in various industries, including higher education, business, U.S. Military, and state government. He was the inaugural chief diversity officer and inclusive executive at Western Carolina University, a role he has held since 2016.
Dr. Nazario-Colón has served on many different boards and committees. He currently serves as the National President of the Appalachian Studies Association, is an elected board member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, a member of the Appalachian Regional Commission's Leadership Institute, and serves on the University Press of Kentucky Appalachian Futures: Black, Native, and Queer Voice advisory board. In addition, Dr. Nazario-Colón chaired Governor Cooper's Advisory Council on Hispanic Latino Affairs, as well as served on the Fort Bragg Renaming Commission, the Kentucky Native American Commission, the NASPA Latinx Knowledge Community state representative for Kentucky and North Carolina, and the UNC System Racial Equity Task Force whose final report was submitted on December 16, 2020.
He is a published poet with numerous publications in journals and anthologies and has authored two poetic books, Of Jíbaros and Hillbillies, Plain View Press 2011, and The Recital, Winged City Press 2011. Dr. Nazario-Colón’s research interests are Black culture centers, multiracial identity experience, and student leadership development. His doctoral research focused on African American faculty and staff retention. He is a former U.S. Marine, a life member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., a graduate of DeWitt Clinton high school, and former division one cross country athlete, and a co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets.
Dr. Nazario-Colón earned a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Western Carolina University, a Master's degree in Secondary Education from Pace University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature and Latin American Studies from the University of Kentucky.