Jessica Guzman-Rea

Dr. Jessica Guzmán-Rea is the director of the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center (BIC) at the University of Rochester. The BIC promotes cultural awareness and engagement, educates on issues of identity, culture, and diversity, and provide avenues for intersection and opportunities for collaboration. In addition, she responds to the bias-related incident reports where she contacts the individuals involved in the report, coordinates a response with an executive team, and communicates with the University community. Dr. Guzmán-Rea also chairs the College Diversity Roundtable (CDR), which is a student-centered task force where campus climate and quality of life issues and/or concerns can be voiced, heard, and acted upon, especially those affecting racial, ethnic and cultural groups on campus. The CDR is also a focal point for diversity discussions, initiatives, and best practices.

Dr. Guzmán-Rea facilitates workshops, trainings, and restorative circles in response to bias-related incidents, but also to educate our campus community. These workshops include topics such as implicit bias, microaggressions, understanding privilege, allyship, creating an inclusive environment, Safe Zone, and practicing cultural humility, just to name a few. Dr. Guzmán-Rea enjoys facilitating these conversations because she gets to watch folks explore how they self-identify and learn new ways to express themselves authentically. She believes that in order to cultivate global citizens, we need to have open and honest dialogue with each other and with folks that differ from us.

Dr. Guzmán-Rea obtained her Doctor of Education in Higher Education from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester and is a Licensed Master Social Worker. Dr. Guzmán-Rea received her Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Guzmán-Rea has taught undergraduate courses at the University of Rochester and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has also taught graduate courses as an adjunct faculty at the Warner School of Education and Walden University.