Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmán found just what she was looking for at Viterbo University.

“I am delighted to be at Viterbo because it is a student- centered university that aligns with my personal and professional goals and values,” said De La Cruz-Guzmán, the university’s first vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion whose first official day was Sept. 30.

In her new role, De La Cruz-Guzmán will serve as a member of Viterbo’s senior leadership team and will lead the university’s social justice and equity initiatives.

“I am in the listening stage right now as I learn about the many good things happening at Viterbo,” she said. “One of my goals is to create a resource center to streamline access to, and avoid duplication, of this important programming and information. Another is to create and implement a systematic and intentional plan to improve inclusion.”

De La Cruz-Guzmán brings a wealth of experience in leadership, planning, engagement, and training to the position. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature and Theology from Barry University, a Master of Arts in English and American Literature from Michigan State University, and a PhD in African Literature in English from Ohio University. She also completed agraduate certificate program in women, gender, and sexuality studies from Ohio University.

De La Cruz-Guzmán has a wide variety of personal interests, including bird watching, pointillism painting, writing poetry, foreign films, the outdoors, and spending time with her family. She speaks English and Spanish fluently, is competent in French, and speaks some Arabic, Shona, Portuguese, Latin, and German.

“Life has a beautiful way of exposing you to new things, and language is part of understanding new cultures,” she said.