The appointment comes as part of A&M-San Antonio’s five-year strategic plan for 2022-2026.
A&M-San Antonio recently appointed Dr. Elizabeth Murakami to advance the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy as part of its strategic roadmap for 2040. Murakami, named the first Special Assistant to the President for DEI, has returned to A&M San-Antonio after four years at the University of North Texas where she served as the Mike Moses Endowed Chair in Educational Administration and professor of educational leadership.
In the new Office of Equity and Inclusive Excellence, Murakami will focus on establishing a shared vision and plan for advancing institutional goals. She will serve as a key adviser to the President’s Cabinet, working with Dr. Tamara Hinojosa, the President’s Faculty Fellow for DEI, to inform the University’s continued commitment to living the core values of an equity-minded campus where each member is accepted and valued.
Murakami is a distinguished national educator and research fellow with national and international recognition for her research contributions towards equity and social justice. Murakami earned her master’s in Curriculum and Teaching and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Administration from Michigan State University. Before starting her academic career, Murakami worked in American international schools in Latin America for 14 years.
Murakami’s research has focused on the academic success of Latin@ populations from preschool through early college and academia. She serves as an editor for a series on Hispanics in Education and Administration and served as a journal editor for the Journal of School Leadership. She has been a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation, and an author and editor of volumes including Beyond Marginality: Understanding the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender and difference in educational leadership research; Abriendo puertas, cerrando heridas (Opening doors, closing wounds): Latinas/os finding work-life balance in academia; and Brown-Eyed Leaders of the Sun: A Portrait of Latina/o Educational Leaders.
