Alli Román-Robinson

Allison C. Román-Robinson, better known as Alli, is a Black Latina educator, storyteller, and social justice advocate. She attended UC Berkeley as a first-generation college student and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s in social welfare. In 2012, she graduated with her Master of Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in community organization with children, youth, and families from the University of Michigan. Alli has presented internationally at dozens of conferences, universities, and non-profit organizations on topics such as scholar activism, storytelling, women of color leaders in student affairs, social justice in higher education, Afro-Latina identity, holistic student support, graduate education, and intersectionality.

Because of her passion, Alli founded Dear Sis, a digital community that collects and shares letters of radical self-love for women of color by women of color. Alli previously served as the inaugural Director for Diversity and Inclusion at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and during her time founded the Women of Color Directors Network for women of color leaders in higher education. This community has served as a critical space for women of color leaders to discuss intersectionality, career development and advancement, sharing best practices in our work, burnout, self-care and community care, and health.

Alli has published several chapters about women of color diversity leadership, storytelling, and gender justice work in higher education including a chapter about the role of storytelling for student affairs professionals of color in the edited collection No Ways Tired The Journey For Professionals Of Color In Student Affairs and a co-authored chapter entitled“The personal and the professional: Intersectional experiences of change in gender justice work” in the edited collection Women’s and Gender Equity Centers.

In 2019, Alli was selected to be NIXLA Fellow for the National Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy. During this year, Alli also received the Change Agent award from the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE).

In January 2018, Ms. Roman became Trinity’s inaugural director for Diversity and Inclusion within the University’s newly created Diversity and Inclusion Office. In her first year at Trinity, Ms. Roman has already launched several programming initiatives, including a professional development series for faculty and staff members seeking to become “social justice allies” on campus. She also serves as the advisor to Trinity’s Black Student Union and Trinity Diversity Connection. In spring 2019, Ms. Roman will oversee the administration of a campus climate survey using an instrument from the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium.

Most recently, Alli has served as the director of student support services at an independent biomedical research institute in Michigan where she provided holistic student support to biomedical PhD students including advising, career development, student well-being support, and alumni engagement.

Alli is an active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority and had previously served as her chapter’s historian and on their membership committee. Alli successfully obtained a grant for her chapter in order to implement an initiative aimed at the development and retention of their chapter members. In the community, Alli had also served as a longtime member, and most recently, the membership manager for the Latina Network of West Michigan.

Alli is committed to service, community building, and spacemaking, focused primarily on historically marginalized communities both in and out of higher education. As the director for the Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program, Alli aims to continue carrying out the transformative legacy of Annika Rodriguez and honoring the history of this amazing scholars program through individualized and communal support for our current scholars and alumni.

Publications