Director
The director is responsible for overall supervision of career staff members. They take community input into different leadership spaces and advocate for full inclusion of the diverse and intersectional community members on campus. Furthermore, they represent us at anything from weekly meetings to national conferences. They also oversee the budget and report to student affairs.
Onar Primitivo, He/Him/His/They/Them
Director, Office of Social Justice Initiatives & Identity Programs
Email: oprimitivo@ucmerced.edu
Direct Office Phone: 209.228.5323
Office Cell Phone: 209.382.4087
Best way to contact and/or schedule a meeting: oprimitivo@ucmerced.edu
Platforms for meetings: zoom, phone, microsoft teams
Onar Primitivo has been working for over 20 years in the field of higher education doing work related to advocacy, social justice and equity. After receiving his B.A. in Visual Communication/Graphic Design at Western Washington University, he then attend Colorado State University and got his Masters in Higher Education in Student Affairs. He first got his professional experience at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN in the Office of Multicultural Student Services where during his tenure received the Medal Of Courage Award given to a staff member who exhibited student advocacy that enhances the student experience and the National Association of College Personnel Administration Staff of the Year Award. Prior to his departure, he was instrumental in establishing the first LGBTQ student (funded) organization at private Catholic institution. He then took the opportunity to work at the University of San Diego, where he worked with student clubs and organizations, student government and programming board in the Student Leadership and Involvement Center and served as the interim assistant director in the United Front Multicultural Center working with historically marginalized population of the campus. Going on his sixth year, Onar serves as the Director of Social Justice Initiatives & Identity Programs at University of California, Merced still committed to creating an inclusive campus for an enriched, transformative, equitable and thriving student experience.
Program Coordinators
The Program Coordinator supervises, manages, and holds the weekly one-on-ones with the scholar coordinators. They are the first point of contact, oversee the day to day functions, and manage the cultural groups and scholar organization funding requests for the Cultural Centers and Affinity Spaces. They support and assist with many of the programs and workshops the SJIIP hosts. They also collaborate with the other student affairs offices and departments, Health Education Promotion, Strategic Communications and other offices on campus.
Lorene Fisher, She/Her/Hers
Program Coordinator
Email: lfisher@ucmerced.edu
Office Cell Phone:
Best way to contact and/or chedule a meeting: lfisher@ucmerced.edu
Platforms for meetings: zoom, phone, microsoft teams
Hailing from Chino, CA and currently calling Merced, CA home, Lorene Fisher identifies as a multiracial Black cisgender straight woman of faith and brings the lens of her personal experiences into her everyday work. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance, certificates in Africana Studies and Business Administration, and an M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona.
While pursuing her higher education, Lorene was involved in residential student government programs, academic skills tutoring, literacy promotion and intervention, and worked in the campus cultural centers, leading her into a career in student affairs. With seven years of experience working in residence life and student life, Lorene has advised student organizations with a focus on inclusive leadership development and intentional identity-based programming. She has consulted with various departments to create strategic diversity action plans and has taught various courses around leadership, organizational behavior, and social justice transitions.
Currently, Lorene serves a Coordinator in the Office of Social Justice Initiatives and Identity Programs at the University of California, Merced. In her “free time,” she teaches youth dance classes, loves exploring new places with her partner, and is working to develop services as an Equity & Inclusion consultant and trainer. Lorene hopes to inform and influence change agents across the nation through social justice education and creative leadership opportunities so that together, we can transform our communities, especially on college campuses, into inclusive hubs for leadership, innovation, and social change.
Angi Baxter, She/Her/Hers
Program Coordinator
Email: abaxter3@ucmerced.edu
Direct Office Phone: 209.228.2250
Best way to contact and/or schedule a meeting: abaxter3@ucmerced.edu
Platforms for meetings: Zoom, Phone, Microsoft Teams
Angi is currently the Program Coordinator in the Office of Social Justice Initiatives & Identity Programs at the University of California, Merced and serves as the first point of contact for the Multicultural Center, LGBTQ+ Pride Center, Black Student Rescource Center, and the Graduate Cultural Resource Center, while also advancing social justice education and initiatives. Prior to her current position, she was a social change agent who held a number of leadership and advocacy positions including co-founding the LGBT Advocacy Team and P.E.A.C.E (Pluralist Encouragement in A Community of Excellence) OSU; was the ASUCM Director of the Queer Affairs Task Force and Graduate Student Affairs; sat on the SOL: LGBTQQIA People of Color Network and Pride Center Advisory Boards, and participated in grassroots organizing through Basic Rights Oregon as a member of Brat: Basics Rights Action Team. Further, she was a member of OSU Team Liberation, an organization that focuses on facilitating diversity development workshops and was a mentor in the Cross-Cultural Mentorship Program. She facilitated the development of the next generation of LGBTQ+ advocates as a member of the OSU Queer Leaders and Pride Panels. Additionally, she was a member of the OSU Women's Center, Women's Affairs Task Force in ASOSU, and assisted with mentoring future feminists in her work in the Women's Studies Program at OSU. She has also received multiple awards for her dedication to advancing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, including receiving the OSU Pride Building Community Award twice, the Marilyn Gorski Award, the Pride Foundation Community Scholarship, and the Patricia Van Kirk Scholarship from the Pride Foundation. She also received the E.E. Cummings Diversity Achievement Award for her work in advancing gender and racial equity at Oregon State University.