Pamela Jimenez

Pamela Jimenez is currently the program director for Excelsior’s Center for Social Justice. She is the former founding director of the Camino program, a bilingual associate degree program for native Spanish-speaking students at Manhattan College. Pamela was also an intern and subsequently mental health specialist at one of the only all Spanish-speaking and LGBTQ drug rehabilitation units operated by the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS) in New York City from 2005-2009. Pamela has extensive background working with Spanish-speaking adults and bilingual families and first-generation immigrants who have emigrated to the U.S. for college opportunities within the past five years. Pam is passionate about creating a diverse and equitable campus climate for underrepresented students and the impact of the college environment on the academic achievement of her students. She has a doctorate in higher education executive leadership and a master’s in mental health psychology. She is driven by cultivating motivation, developing curiosity and leadership, and training employees to react to challenges in ways that will broaden their critical thinking skills, experiences, and personal development. Pam pursued her degree research by examining the influence of perception of fit and racial identity on the career choices of African American police officers in the New York City Police Department. Pam’s research interest includes “organizational fit” of underrepresented populations, Latinx students, in higher education and equitable academic environments.