Leaders throughout the USF community are committed to supporting and fostering diversity on campus.
Dr. Mary J. Wardell-Ghirarduzzi
Associate Vice Provost for Diversity Engagement and Community Outreach
Phone: (415)422-2821 | Email: mjwardell@usfca.edu
Dr. Mary J. Wardell-Ghirarduzzi has been working in various roles in higher education administration for the past 18 years and is currently part of leadership at the University of San Francisco. Working with faculty, staff and students, and diverse communities through the San Francisco Bay area, she promotes an understanding of diversity as core to a holistic and sustainable higher education organization. From 2008 - 2011 Mary served as the USF Dean of Students. She is currently an adjunct professor and teaches organizational behavior, leadership, and communication to graduate and undergraduate business students in the USF School of Management.
Prior to USF, Mary worked as the Dean of Student Affairs at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, overseeing all student affairs programs and academic support services. She worked to bridge educational opportunity for underserved youth in San Diego County, working with children of migrant families, and first generation college bound African American, Native American, Pacific Islander and Latino students, as an outreach coordinator for California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). Mary received a BA in Communication from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, her hometown; a MA in Cross Cultural Counseling from San Diego State University; and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. Her research interest and professional practice focuses on transformational leadership within organizations and women in leadership. Mary has an avid love for the arts and is a vocalist and photographer. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two daughters.
Dr. Joseph L. White
USF Diversity Consultant
For the past 51 years, Dr. Joseph L. White has enjoyed a distinguished career in the field of psychology and mental health as a teacher, mentor, administrator, clinical supervisor, writer, consultant, and practicing psychologist. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine, where he spent most of his career as a teacher, supervising psychologist, mentor, and Director of ethnic studies and cross-cultural programs. Dr. White received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Michigan State University in 1961. On May 10, 2007, he received an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, from the University of Minnesota, which is the highest award conferred by the University of Minnesota, recognizing individuals who have achieved acknowledged eminence in cultural affairs, in public affairs, or in a field of knowledge and scholarship. On May 24, 2008, he was inducted into the San Francisco State University Hall of Fame as Alumnus of the Year. Dr. White is the author of several papers and books: The Psychology of Blacks (2011; 1999; 1990; 1984); The Troubled Adolescent (1989); Black Man Emerging: Facing the Past and Seizing a Future in America (1999); Black Fathers: An Invisible Presence in America (2006; 2011); Building Multicultural Competency: Development, Training, and Practice (2008). He was a pioneer in the field of Black psychology and is affectionately referred to as the “Godfather” of Black psychology by his students, mentees, and younger colleagues. His seminal article in Ebony magazine in 1970, “Toward a Black Psychology,” was instrumental in beginning the modern era of African-American and ethnic psychology.
In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. White has been a practicing psychologist and consultant. He has served as a supervising psychologist and staff affiliate psychologist to five hospitals and three clinical practices in Southern California. He has worked as a consultant with school districts, universities, private organizations, drug prevention programs, and government agencies. Dr. White was appointed to the California State Psychology Licensing Board by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. and served as chairman for three years. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of The Menninger Foundation in Houston, Texas.
Adriana Broullon
Program Manager
Phone: (415)422-2828 | Email: abroullon@usfca.edu
Adriana Broullon is a San Francisco native and graduate of the University of San Francisco. In 2007, she
graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors
in International Relations and Latin American Studies, and a focus on Global Politics and Societies. While completing her
degree, Adriana interned at San Francisco based non-profits and a social
marketing agency, in roles that focused on marketing, community engagement and
cultural competency (O’Rorke Inc, SF Connect and Global Exchange). After
graduation she traveled to South America where she worked on organic farms in
the sustainable agriculture movement in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.
In 2009, Adriana came back to the Bay
Area to work for the Agricultural Institute of Marin. The Institute is a
501(c)3 non-profit that runs farmers markets throughout the Bay Area, and
educates the public on the importance of supporting local food systems and the local
economy, through purchasing from small and medium sized family farms and food
businesses. It was there that she solidified her passion for community building
and community outreach work, as a farmers market manager and marketing director. In February 2012, Adriana was elated to return to
her alma mater, to join the university’s Office of Diversity Engagement and
Community Outreach.
