Ishara Casellas Connors

Professional Experience

ACADEMIC & RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS

Texas A&M University

Assistant Professor (2021 - present)

Bush School of Government and Public Service

Department of Public Service & Administration

Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Mexican American Studies

Assistant Dean for Diversity & Climate (2018-2021)

College of Geosciences

Tufts University

Associate Director (2015 - 2018)

Institute for Democracy & Higher Education

EDUCATION

Boston College, Lynch School of Education

Ph.D. Higher Education, 2020

Dissertation: Examining Racial Discourse in Diversity Policies at Hispanic Serving Institutions

Committee: Ana M. Martínez Alemán (Chair), Andrés Castro Samayoa, Gabrielle Oliveira

Columbia University, Teachers College

M.A. Higher and Postsecondary Education, 2011

Clark University

B.A Business Management, 2006

PUBLISHED PAPERS

Casellas Connors, I. (2023). Racial Diversity in the Geosciences: Engaging Community Cultural Wealth for Success. 29 (2). Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering.

Casellas Connors, I. (2022). Examining racial discourse in equity reports: Florida’s public Hispanic serving institutions. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 30, (29). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.5955

Unangst, L., Casellas Connors, I., & Barone, N. (2022). State-Based Policy Supports for Refugee, Asylee, and TPS-Background Students in US Higher Education. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 38(1), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.40819

Casellas Connors, I., & McCoy, H. (2022). Performing Anti-racism: Universities Respond to Anti-Black Violence. Race and Justice, 12(3), 588–613. https://doi.org/10.1177/21533687221101787

Unangst, L., Borg, N., Casellas Connors, I., & Barone, N. (2022). Diversities at US colleges and universities: Online diversity statements at institutions employing chief diversity officers. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Leadership Studies, 3(3), 16-36. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52547/johepal.3.3.16

Casellas Connors, I. (2021). Constructing a monolith: State policy, institutional DEI plans, and the flattening of Latinx identity at Hispanic-serving institutions. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211063872

Arnold, K. D., & Casellas Connors, I. (2021). The ‘anti-Instagram’: Using visual methods to study the college experiences of underrepresented students. Visual Studies, 1-19.https://10.1080/1472586X.2021.1893612

MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW

Casellas Connors, I. Unangst, L., Barone, N. (in progress). Supporting

displaced students: A Comparative Analysis of Institutional Supports. Revise

and Resubmit with Minor Revision December 2022.

Casellas Connors, I. (under review). Racial Equity in System-Level DEI Policy: The Implications for HSIs.

Casellas Connors, I. & Gonlin, V. (under review) Complicating Latinx Experience: Afro-Latinx Students’ Perceptions of Campus Climate and Sense of Belonging

GRANTS & CONTACTS

2022 Casellas Connors, I. (PI), Unangst, L. Evans, K. (Co-PIs). Cultivating Refugee Access to Higher Education Across Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia. W.T. Grant Foundation $49,992.

2022 Evans, K (PI), Casellas Connors, I., Unangst, L. (Co-PIs). Access to Higher Education for Refugees in the MD/VA/DC area. University of Maryland, Office of Translational Research. $35,000.

2022 Casellas Connors, I. (PI), Wanzer Serrano, D. Discourse Tracing of Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the University of Texas System. Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, Texas A&M University. $9,960.

2022 Quick, C. (PI), Casellas Connors, I, Salazar, C. (Co-PIs). HSI-HUB: Propagating Research- Intensive Communities Centering Servingness. National Science Foundation. 2.95 Million (Pending).

2021 Taylor, L.L.(PI), Casellas Connors, I. (Co-PI). Examining shifting enrollment across Texas community colleges: Administrative perspective navigating enrollment declines. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. $480,000 ($12,000 for Co-PI).