www.negociosnow.com
52 March 2022
Ángel Luis Vélez
Working
for diversity
Age: 36
Title: Co-Founder & President
Name of Organization: Velez
Diversity Consulting LLC.
Ángel Luis Vélez started
his own consulting company
to have an effect on diversity,
equity, and inclusion in corpo-
rations, higher education, and
nonprofit organizations.
Vélez is a first-generation
Afro-Latino and an award-
winning racial equity and an-
ti-racist researcher, trainer,
consultant, and community
advocate. He earned a docto-
rate in education policy, orga-
nization, and leadership with
a concentration in history of
education and a graduate mi-
nor in Latina/o studies from
the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. He also
received a master's degree
in higher education leader-
ship and a bachelor's degree
in justice studies, both from
Northeastern Illinois Univer-
sity.
Throughout his doctoral
studies, he developed a critical
understanding of anti-racism,
racial equity, and inclusion in
education policy. He taught
ethnic studies and leadership
courses for over five years. He
spent more than six years re
-
searching issues of injustice
for racialized communities of
color, particularly their access
to higher education. During
this career he secured nume-
rous fellowships and awards,
including the Surge Institute
Fellowship, NEIU Graduate
of the Last Decade Alumni
Award, ASPIRA 50 for 50 AS-
PIRANTE Honoree, and the
Diversifying Faculty in Illinois
Fellowship.
He was recently the asso-
ciate director of diversity and
inclusion at the Harris School
of Public Policy at the Univer-
sity of Chicago. Vélez has con-
sulted for dozens of organiza-
tions on anti-racist training
and on diversity and inclusion
strategies. He wants to expand
his work to reduce harm and
inequality by creating anti-
racist organizations and indi-
viduals.
He loves spending time
with his family, engaging in
community advocacy, and
watching sports.
WORDS OF WISDOM:
"A
lways show up as the most
authentic version of yourself."
