Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Professor, Scholar, Teacher Educator, Advocate, Ally, Board Member

Dr. Graciela Slesaransky-Poe is an Education Professor at Arcadia University. Her teaching, scholarship and service are grounded on her personal and professional commitment to championing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) & Combating Anti-Black Racism.

Dr. Slesaransky-Poe is an Arcadia University Center for Antiracism Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action (CASAA) Scholar Advocate, researching racism within LGBTQIA+ spaces with a team of queer and trans students of color in predominately white institutions. She is also a LOVE Project Co-facilitator with the LGBTQIA+ working group. Graciela is also collaborating with the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University to bring the Family Acceptance Framework to school districts.

Graciela has served at several leadership roles at Arcadia, including Founding Dean of the School of Education; Co-Chair, President’s JEDI Commission; and member; Combating Anti-Black Racism Initiatives (ABRI) leadership team, and Program Manager for the Combating Anti-Black Racism Curricular and Pedagogical Infusion working group. Nationally, Graciela was a founding member of the Education Deans for Justice and Equity (EDJE).

Graciela is a member of regional, national, and global advisory boards. She is the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Frank and Evelyn Steinbrucker ’42 Endowed Chair; Patricia J. Creegan Award for Excellence in Inclusive Education; and Champion of Social Justice, given by the Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center for “her work in creating welcoming, inclusive, and safe schools and organizations for gender non-binary and transgender children, youth and adults.”

Building on her professional expertise, coupled with her and her family’s diverse lived experiences, Dr. Slesaransky-Poe supports school districts, higher education institutions, and other organizations advance their efforts towards becoming more welcoming and more affirming for all students, families, educators, and community members. Her work is grounded on an intersectional approach, in which race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, as well as other historically marginalized identities are placed at the center and the individual and collective lived experiences are amplified. Her speaking engagements; professional development, training, and coaching engagements, are highly sought after, thought provoking, and offer a safe space to develop critical consciousness that leads to action. She has delivered numerous keynote speakers at national and international conferences, and has authored several publications. She has been quoted and been interviewed on several news outlets including Chronicle of Higher Education, CNN, The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY (Philadelphia’s local NRP radio station) in the US and in Argentina, her country of origin.

Graciela taught in Jamaica, Cuba, and Poland. She lives with her husband, Phil, in the Philadelphia area. They are the parents of two amazing young adults, Graciela’s true teachers. In her free time, Graciela enjoys highly competitive Dragon Boat and Outrigger Canoe paddling, as well as cycling and yoga.