2025 PSO Annual Forum

• What happens here stays here, but what’s learned here leaves here.
• Lead with curiosity.
• Be open to experiencing some discomfort.
• Take the time you need to care for yourself.
• Listen to understand, not to respond.
• Speak your own experience (“I” statements) and participate to the fullest of your ability.
• When speaking, recognize that your impact on others may be different than your intent.
• Recognize that multiple truths exist.
• Expect and accept non-closure.
• Be mindful of your surroundings and your fellow participants.
• Before speaking, ask yourself ‘How will this bring value to the conversation?”

Speaker: Forum Planning Committee

Speaker: Andrea Salazar-Nunez

Speaker: Hugo Garcia Villa

A Long Talk About The Uncomfortable Truth is an interactive experience that encourages honest reflection and dialogue about the ways history, identity, and power shape our shared experiences. Rooted in storytelling and deep listening, it aims to humanize the lived experiences of others and create space for participants to explore how bias and silence can impact our communities. Through immersive discussion, the experience helps people recognize the roles we all play—including as bystanders—and empowers individuals to move from awareness to meaningful action. By fostering empathy and connection, A Long Talk supports a culture of care, accountability, and shared responsibility for building a more inclusive and compassionate society.

Speaker: Kamal Carter, President of A Long Talk

https://alongtalk.com/

Speaker: Michelle Purnell-Hepburn

In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, it is important to help your team members build resilience, and feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety. This 45-minute session, led by a seasoned expert in the field, offers a practical roadmap for managers aiming to cultivate vibrant work environments. Drawing on extensive experience in leadership development and organizational change, the session will delve into the HEART(S) framework, a comprehensive strategy designed to enhance workplace culture and promote a sense of belonging among all employees.  

Participants will be guided through the core components of the HEART(S) framework: Hope, Empathy, Acceptance, Respect, Trust, (Safety). The session will provide actionable insights and tools for managers to implement these principles effectively within their teams.  

Interactive discussions will illustrate successful HEART integration, highlighting the positive impacts on productivity, innovation, and employee satisfaction. Managers will leave equipped with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful change, fostering a work environment where everyone can thrive. This session is essential for leaders seeking to leverage diversity and inclusivity as catalysts for organizational success.  

Speaker:Thomas Jacobs

Join us for an engaging and down-to-earth conversation with Rickey Hall, the University of Washington’s Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity and University Diversity Officer. With over 25 years of experience in higher education, Rickey brings a thoughtful and authentic perspective to what it means to lead with purpose—especially during times of change and uncertainty.

In this conversation, we’ll explore how Rickey has cultivated his leadership style, how he stays grounded while guiding large-scale efforts, and what he’s learned about building community and supporting others along the way. He’ll also share personal reflections on navigating challenges, staying motivated, and encouraging others to step into leadership roles in their own spheres of influence.

Speaker: Rickey Hall, Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity

Speaker: Forum Planning Committee

Despite being one of the largest minority groups in the world, people with disabilities are often overlooked in diversity and inclusion efforts. Led by members of the DSFA (UW’s Disability Staff and Faculty Association), this workshop will explore essential topics such as the definition of disability, disability justice, and ableism, while providing practical strategies to foster a more inclusive workplace culture.

Speakers: Christine Lew and Chrystian Shepperd

Speaker: Jen Davidson

Focused on fostering connection, holistic wellness, and engaging your interests, The Whole U is for UW, by UW. Join us as the team shares more about the wonderful work they’re doing to support our UW community. You’ll also be invited to take part in a refreshing movement break and a brief centering activity to help reset and re-energize your day.

Speaker: Lauren Updyke

Speaker: Alexey Kuznetsov

Speaker: Forum Planning Committee

Kamal Carter is a scientist, an activist, an educator and a management consultant. Kamal brings more than 25 years of corporate development and growth strategy experience. He has held multiple global leadership positions at leading companies. What he is most proud of is walking away from millions of dollars to serve as a high school chemistry teacher at an inner city school in Atlanta. For more than a decade, Mr. Carter has pioneered innovative strategies in education. He co-wrote a script for a PBS science show which he also stars in. He has been a National Institute of Health (NIH) Research Fellow and a member of the State of Georgia Superintendent’s Teachers Advisory Council. Kamal graduated from Hampton University with a Biology Pre-Med degree. He turned down two full scholarships to medical school to pursue his passion in business, community development, and science education. Kamal Carter is chairman of the board of Step Ahead Scholars, Inc., a nonprofit he co-founded 10 years ago whose mission is to eradicate college access inequality.

Jen Davison (she/her) is the Project Director of Community Engagement, leading a Presidential effort to build institutional capacity for community engagement across the University of Washington. She is also the co-director of Urban@UW’s Research to Action Collaboratory, an accelerator program for transdisciplinary research teams.  

Jen has been building boundary-spanning infrastructure within higher education for over a decade. She joined University of Washington’s College of the Environment in 2010 and founded its science communication program, which provides opportunities, training, and support for faculty, students and staff to connect their research to non-science communities through communication, outreach and engagement. Jen joined Urban@UW in 2015, and co-led strategies and programs to address complex challenges such as housing and homelessness; urban environmental justice; and equitable smart cities. She was the founding program manager for Livable City Year in 2016, which connects faculty and students with municipal governments for collaborative projects. From 2017-2019 she co-chaired UW-Seattle’s Carnegie Classification Working Group, charged to assess the campus’ support for community engagement at all levels, from curricular programs to faculty incentive structures to fundraising processes and beyond. In 2020 Jen served as the foundational program manager for the College of Built Environments’ Applied Research Consortium, connecting faculty and students with industrial partners for collaborative research. In 2021 and 2022 she was the College of Built Environments’ Director of Research, charged to foster a culture of research productivity, collaboration, and engagement throughout the college. Previous to her role at University of Washington, as a published scientist Davison worked with community partners to understand how wildlife and landscapes are responding to land use and climate change, and to co-develop tools for managing ecosystems threatened by these drivers. 

In 2017 Jen participated in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Community Engagement Fellowship. She participated in UW’s Leadership Excellence Project in 2018, and is a 2019 alumni of the regional Leadership Tomorrow Fellowship. Jen served as the LT white caucus co-leader from 2019 to 2022, and as LT coach in 2020. From 2018 to 2023 she served on the Board of Directors for the UW Professional Staff Organization, including as the Vice President and as the chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. From 2021 to 2023 Jen volunteered with Breaking White Silence Northwest, a project that aims to help white people gain white racial literacy as a keystone step in the lifelong process of building personal and collective capacity to take effective action toward racial justice.  She served on the Board of Directors of the Phinney Neighborhood Association from 2017 to 2021. Before Jen’s time in science and academia, she was a wilderness guide; before that, a software developer; and before that, a farm girl who showed rabbits in 4-H. 

Hugo Garcia Villa serves as the Coordinator for Leadership Without Borders at the University of Washington’s Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D), where he supports and uplifts undocumented students through advocacy, mentorship, and community-building.

Having arrived in the U.S. at just two years old as an undocumented minor, Hugo’s lived experience informs his deep understanding of the challenges faced by undocumented communities, as well as the power of self-advocacy. “We have power in many other things, in our voices and advocating for ourselves,” he shares—a belief that drives his work every day.

Though he earned his degrees in Business and Human Resources Management, Hugo’s passion for serving youth led him to community-focused roles, where he discovered a deep calling in social impact work. At UW and beyond, he works to provide access, support, and amplify voices—particularly for young people who may feel alone in their journeys.

In addition to his role at UW, Hugo volunteers as a youth counselor with Friends of Youth, where he supports foster youth, including those previously detained at the border. Through this work, he continues to invest in the lives and futures of the next generation.

Hugo is a tireless advocate, compassionate leader, and shining example of how we can all fulfill the public promise to serve.

Rickey Hall was appointed as the eighth vice president for minority affairs and diversity and the university diversity officer at the University of Washington effective Aug. 1, 2016.

Hall leads the university’s equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging efforts, and plays a key role in advancing institutional excellence. He has oversight of the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) which administers programs that broaden college access, support student success and enhance diversity-related teaching and learning across campus. As the university diversity officer, Hall also works collaboratively with and serves as a resource for the UW campuses, colleges and administrative units as they establish, coordinate and assess their contributions to institutional diversity goals.

Hall has over 25 years of experience in higher education and is involved with a number of national organizations including the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and a trustee on the ACPA College Student Educators International Foundation board.

Hall came to the UW after serving as the inaugural vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for three years. Prior to that role, he served for six years as the assistant vice president for equity and diversity at the University of Minnesota.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies and a master’s degree in higher education, both from the University of Iowa.

Based in Bremerton, WA, Thomas is a seasoned consultant, educator, and IT professional with a rich background in Information Technology, Education, and Organizational Change Management. His education includes BSBA (Information Systems), an MBA (Technology Management), and an EdS (Education Technology). He recently worked in the UW Finance Transformation Technology Pillar as Sr Organizational Change Management Lead where he and his team worked closely with UW IT leadership and management to help technologists and Finance personnel adopt new finance systems. As a cofounder of Hatpin Revolution, he is dedicated to enhancing leadership and change capabilities within educational, governmental, and private sectors.  

With a passionate commitment to fostering belonging in work environments, he has developed comprehensive programs aimed at training managers who build psychologically safe workplaces. His initiatives are designed to equip leaders with the tools necessary to embrace and champion diversity within their organizations, ensuring a more equitable and inclusive culture. His extensive experience allows him to speak authoritatively on leadership, technology, science, education, neurodiversity, and change management, making me a valued resource and advocate for transformative organizational practices.  

Alexey Kuznetsov (he/him) is a social justice activist and educator. An immigrant from Russia, he has been organizing his community in the US since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, mobilizing efforts against dictatorship and supporting immigrant rights. 
 
As a gay man, Alexey is committed to advancing LGBTQ+ equity in Russian politics. He is also a passionate proponent of inclusive, bilingual public education, having spent 10 years as an English Learner and Social Studies teacher, primarily in Renton.

Currently, Alexey is pursuing a Master’s degree in International Studies and Public Policy at the University of Washington, focusing his research on sexuality, equity, and freedom in a democratic society.

Dr. Salazar-Nuñez is a psychologist deeply committed to social justice and healing through a multicultural and multiracial lens. Her work is rooted in fostering inclusive, holistic spaces where clients can explore identity, values, and personal growth. With a strong foundation in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), she integrates multicultural principles and psychodynamic insights to help individuals increase psychological flexibility and live in alignment with their values.

Dr. Salazar-Nuñez believes that when we lose connection to our core values and identities, we risk becoming stuck—emotionally, mentally, and behaviorally. This disconnection can manifest as avoidance, anxiety, or depression. Her therapeutic approach empowers clients to reconnect with what matters most, enabling them to make intentional, values-based decisions and build more fulfilling lives.

She specializes in working with women, people of color, and individuals with marginalized identities, including those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and undocumented. Her clinical expertise includes treating anxiety, grief, identity exploration, career challenges, relationship concerns, racial trauma, sexual trauma, and intergenerational conflict. Through her compassionate and culturally responsive care, Dr. Salazar-Nuñez helps clients navigate life’s complexities while centering healing, authenticity, and resilience.

Alt text for image: Headshot of Chrystian Shepperd, a white man with short hair and glasses in a suit, smiling at the camera.