Diversity Excellence Award Winners 2024

April 29, 2024
SDSU News Team

Congratulations to DEI staff award winner CHHS Layna Pena-Buskirk and Faculty Award winner Dr. Yea-Wen Chen, professor in the School of Communication.

The Diversity Excellence Awards recognize faculty, staff and alumni-community members who have shown an exemplary commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Nominations were received and the accomplishments of the nominees were evaluated for their quality and their contribution to diversity and social justice.

Layna Pena-Buskirk

Layna Pena-Buskirk
Layna Pena-Buskirk
Layna Pena-Buskirk is an IT Consultant in the College of Health and Human Services. She is currently the Chair of the Information Technology Division (ITD) Diversity Council for San Diego State University. As a Chair, she has advanced the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the IT Division by developing many initiatives to promote DEI, encourage staff camaraderie, and make the IT Division a more inclusive place to work. Activities include new employee lunches with the IT Diversity Council building community and DEI engagement, developing a micro-learning series around weekly allyship tips including various inclusion terms, as well as spearheading a new division employee recognition system focused on the Division’s purpose and mission. She also co-developed a new SDSU Employee Resource Group for parents and caregivers. Layna continually and consistently identifies ways to support the strategic goal of "Equity and Inclusion in Everything We Do." 

Dr. Yea-Wen Chen 

Dr. Yea-Wen Chen
Dr. Yea-Wen Chen

Dr. Yea-Wen Chen is a Professor in the School of Communication and Director of Graduate Studies at San Diego State University. Prior to her transition to San Diego State University, she served as an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University, where she worked for 6 years and was awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor. She has taught courses in Intercultural Communication, Organizational Communication, and Instructional Communication. Her research agenda focuses on communicating cultural identities from the margins in the contexts of immigrant women faculty in U.S. academia, pan-Asian organizing, and Taoist family spirituality. She is the winner of 21 top paper awards at regional, national, and international communication conferences, and a co-recipient of the 2020 Exemplary Teacher Award by the Communication & Instructional Interest Group, Western States Communication Association.  

A ceremony to honor the awardees will be held in fall 2024. 

Categorized As
Public HealthCollege of Health and Human Services (CHHS)NursingExercise and Nutritional Sciences (ENS)Social WorkPhysical TherapySchool of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS)
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