FRCC hires first director of equity, inclusion
Front Range Community College has hired Abenicio Rael to be the school’s first executive director of equity and inclusion.
“Creating this new position will sharpen FRCC’s focus on our goals of inclusive excellence, educational equity and advancing opportunity for all,” college president Andy Dorsey said in a statement announcing the hire.
“I’m eager to support faculty and staff as they strive to align FRCC’s mission and values with the school’s initiatives,” Rael said. “We want these efforts to lead to tangible success for students of all backgrounds.”
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Rael comes to FRCC from the University of Colorado Denver, where he has held positions supporting — and advocating for — marginalized students. In his most recent role as director of Latinx student services, he led development of the university’s equity plan. He was also appointed by the chancellor to lead a task force preparing CU-Denver to become designated a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.
“I’m extremely impressed with Abenicio’s dedication to serving students — and having him join us in this leadership position will strengthen FRCC’s efforts toward equity in education,” Dorsey said. “His guidance will help ensure that we’re making the right improvements, and that we are truly supporting all of our students in reaching their educational and career goals.”
Rael is a Colorado native with more than 15 years of experience in the areas of higher education administration, strategic planning, student services programs development, and equity and diversity leadership. His particular passion is for implementing “institutional-focused initiatives that help diverse, underrepresented, disadvantaged students stay in school and earn their degrees.”
In addition to his work in higher education, Rael serves as co-chair of the Denver Latino Commission, a role he was appointed to by Mayor Michael Hancock. As part of the commission’s work, Rael has helped develop the city’s first equity and inclusion conference: “Empowering Voices of Color.”
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