Dr. Audeliz Matias

Dr. Audeliz (Audi) Matias is the interim chief diversity officer for institutional equity and inclusion for SUNY Empire State College. Dr. Matias came to SUNY Empire State College in 2008, as coordinator for curriculum and instructional design in the former Center for Distance Learning. She went on to become an associate professor in the in the School of Science, Math and Technology. She served as the founding chair of the Department of Natural Science and as the interim chair of the Department of Mathematics in the same division.

Dr. Matias’ work in diversity, equity, and inclusion has focused on creating inclusive learning environments, particularly in the sciences. Recently, her pre-proposal work was selected to be part of the new Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence (HHMI) Learning Community initiative. She was a 2020-2021 fellow of the SUNY Empire State College Center for Mentoring Learning and Academic Innovation (CMLAI), where she studies best practices for inclusive teaching and their application to SUNY Empire State College. Previously, she a 2019-20 SUNY Empire State College Provost Fellow, where she devoted her research to examining DEI in the college curriculum.

As a 2020 fellow of the SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute, Dr. Matias led the seven-member cohort in researching and composing the article "5 Key Roles for Effective Leaders during COVID," published in the February 2021 issue of Inside Higher Ed for their group project. Additionally, Dr. Matias is actively engaged in local and professional organizations dedicated to mentoring underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, and has served as research proposal reviewer for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Dr. Matias received her doctorate in geological sciences from Northwestern University. She has her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in geology from the University of Puerto Rico. She is a past recipient of the State of University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.