Employee Spotlight: Joshua Seguí-Rodríguez

10/21/2024

As the Community College of Rhode Island’s new Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Connecticut native and longtime Rhode Island resident Joshua Seguí-Rodríguez has returned to the Ocean State with the goal of fostering a more inclusive, welcoming environment at the college.

Seguí-Rodríguez comes to CCRI from Syracuse University, where he served as the Executive Director of Intercultural Engagement in the university’s Student Experience Division. In that role, he provided leadership to the Intercultural Collective (consisting of the Disability Cultural Center, LGBTQ Resource Center and Multicultural Affairs) and advanced divisional diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.

A graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Seguí-Rodríguez brings a lifetime of public service and community work to CCRI. Before working in Syracuse, he was the Senior Policy Associate for Roger Williams University’s Latino Policy Institute and the Director of the University of Rhode Island’s Multicultural Student Services Center. He also worked at Brown University as the Assistant Director of Co-Curricular Initiatives before becoming the Director of the Brown Center for Students of Color.

Throughout his career, Seguí-Rodríguez has worked to bring people together, whether friends, family, or loved ones, and has placed a strong emphasis on building long-lasting communities. In today’s Employee Spotlight, we look at what inspired him to serve others, how he brought that passion to the forefront at Wesleyan, and his unique skillset beyond the console.

You have a long history of public service and helping others that dates to your time working as an intern in the legal field. Tell us about where your inspiration to serve comes from.

I’m one of five children raised by a single mother. I experienced challenges like food insecurity, educational inequality, and bias. These experiences sparked my curiosity to learn more about the systemic issues that shaped my life. Academically, I gravitated toward the social sciences and humanities, which deepened my understanding of these topics. Along the way, I also got involved in community work, which further fueled my passion for service. My career in public service grew naturally out of these interests and my desire to make a difference.

While pursuing your undergraduate degree, you helped launch initiatives that targeted not only students, but their families. What was the scope of that work and why was it important?

I attended Wesleyan University and had a great experience. One of the highlights was meeting one of my best friends, who introduced me to a third student with an idea for a new initiative. As a low-income Latine student, he often noticed that many of his peers enjoyed Family Weekend with their parents, but his parents couldn’t attend due to the cost of travel. Even if they could make the trip, many of the events weren’t accessible to Spanish-speaking families.

As two low-income Latine students, we immediately recognized how much impact this initiative could have, so we jumped in to help. Together, we developed Para La Familia, an initiative that ran parallel to Family Weekend, offering events that allowed our families to fully engage with the campus community. It was inspiring to see student leaders and administrators come together to make the campus more inclusive.

One of the most meaningful moments for me was seeing my own parents participate as part of the first cohort of families. It gave me a sense of connection I hadn’t realized I needed, and it reinforced how essential it is to create spaces where everyone feels welcome.

What are some of your goals as the new Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion?

As the new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, my focus is on fostering a campus environment where every student, faculty, and staff member feels valued and included. A key priority is reviewing programs and policies to identify and remove barriers that may limit participation or engagement for underrepresented communities.

I will also prioritize organizational development by working with departments across the college to expand professional growth opportunities and build pathways for inclusive leadership. Strengthening employee engagement will directly enrich the student experience.

Additionally, I aim to ensure our Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status is reflected in students' everyday experiences through programs and resources that celebrate diversity and meet their academic and social needs.

Ultimately, my goal is to make inclusion and belonging central to CCRI’s culture, creating a welcoming environment where all members of our community can thrive.

At URI, you helped develop community trust during some difficult times and paved the way for deeper conversations on social justice topics. What were the steps you took to accomplish that goal in such a short amount of time?

I’m proud of how I centered student voices in my work at URI, creating spaces where students felt empowered to share their experiences and actively shape our offerings. I’m grateful for the opportunity to build strong relationships with key staff and faculty leaders who were essential in supporting this work. Together, we cultivated an environment where students remained at the forefront, engaging in meaningful conversations that advanced social justice in thoughtful and impactful ways.

We’ve heard you’re also a budding video game developer in your free time. How did you uncover that skillset?

I enjoy dabbling in game development using the Godot engine. As a family man, free time can be hard to come by with my kids keeping me busy, but when I do get a chance, I love immersing myself in computer programming. Game development, in particular, allows me to create small, fun experiences. I’ve even incorporated my kids as characters in some of my projects, and one of my dreams is to develop a game where they take center stage as playable characters.

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