Dr. Julia Macias serves as Associate Dean of the Office of Scholar Programs, home of the university’s signature merit scholars programs: the Danforth Scholars Program, the Ervin Scholars Program and directing the Rodriguez Program. Her area of focus within Student Affairs is diversity, inclusion, equity and student support. Julia served as the Vice Chair for the Chancellor’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, leading to several large-scale changes including the creation of the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Equity, and the Academy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. During her time at the university, Julia co-founded the Campus Diversity Collaborative, a space for staff of all backgrounds to gather, reflect and learn. Julia co-founded Latino Link, the Latino Staff Affinity group, and the Holobaugh Honors, and DACA Student Support. Julia currently serves as the interim Co-Director for PLAN, the Professional Leadership Academy & Network, a year-long professional development program intended to cultivate future leaders and impact tomorrow’s education.
Prior to her appointment at Washington University, Julia worked as several NGOS in the San Francisco Area focusing on equity, immigration and education, including the Latino Issues Forum and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Julia serves on the board of the St. Louis Mosaic Project, working to make St. Louis more prosperous through immigration and innovation.
Julia is an alumna of Stanford University, where she received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology, and Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a Ph.D. in Anthropology. Her research interests are around immigration, educational access and equity. Her doctoral thesis, “Rompiendo Alambres: Immigrant Youth Navigating School and Life in St. Louis,” follows unaccompanied minors as they make their home in St. Louis, fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries.