Gisela P Vega

Dr. Vega’s passion and work in the LGBTQ+ community dates back to the early 90’s when she was inspiring and mentoring LGBTQ+ students at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has advised countless college and university LGBTQ+ groups moving students into action from the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberation to speaking up on Trans rights issues today. Providing students with personalized attention is at the heart of her almost three decades of service in Higher Education. She has worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Institute for Shipboard Education with Semester at Sea, Northeastern University in Boston, Florida International University in Miami and currently serves as the Director for the LGBTQ Student Center at the University of Miami. Her experiences stem from housing and residential life, multicultural affairs, academic affairs, team development, to advisement, leadership development, mentoring, and recruitment. In 2012 she was the inaugural staff member at Florida International University, developing the institutions 1st LGBTQA Initiatives program. This was the first program of its kind established in a south Florida College or University. Dr. Vega holds her doctorate in Higher Education from Florida International University, a Master’ in Education Instructional Leadership, a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art Education, and in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is passionate about learning and teaching and has served as a faculty member for the Women’s and Gender Studies center at FIU. During her time with the Center for Women’s and Gender studies at FIU she assisted in the establishment of its Queer Studies Certificate Program and taught the first LGBT course offered. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Aqua Foundation for Women, and the executive board of Coral Gable Congregational UCC, a welcome and affirming church in South Florida. Dr. Vega is originally from Chicago and currently lives in Miami with her family.