Rafael Angel Zapata

Rafael Angel Zapata has been a higher education professional for over 25 years, consistently striving to bridge academic affairs, student affairs, access and justice, and community engagement. Deeply committed to the construction and sustaining of community, and the values and theoretical approach that underlie Essential Partners' dialogic practice, Rafael has enjoyed a nearly ten-year affiliation with the organization, as both a client and associate.

From January 2018 through October 2023, Rafael served as Fordham University’s inaugural Chief Diversity Officer, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Prior to that, Rafael worked at Providence College, Swarthmore College, and New York University, with significant professional affiliations with the Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS), the Liberal Arts Diversity Officers (LADO), the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows Program, and the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.  

A native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, Rafael holds a BA in sociology from Iona College, an MA in sociology from Arizona State University, and spent three years in the doctoral program in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.