Associate Director for Community College Partnerships USC Race and Equity Center
Adrián Trinidad, Ph.D. (he/él) is a native of South Los Angeles and a proud product of public schools and community colleges within Los Angeles. He is the Associate Director for Community College Partnerships at the USC Race and Equity Center (REC), where he supports community colleges by building racial equity resources through partnerships with system leaders, researchers, funders, and advocacy organizations. Adrián prepares professional development programs for over 60 community colleges nationwide, leads million-dollar grant initiatives focused on racial equity, and is an expert on race-conscious implementation of equity initiatives.
His research has focused on the sensemaking and implementation of equity reforms and policies, organizational change cultures, and race-conscious leadership. He has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Educational Policy, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and Community College Journal of Research and Practice. He has presented at national conferences such as the American Association of Community Colleges, American Educational Research Association, and Association for the Study of Higher Education, among others. Additionally, Adrián has published in several academic press books, reports, briefs and has been quoted in outlets such as the L.A. Times, LAist, Inside Higher Ed, and Cal Matters.
Adrián is a program evaluator and is supported the research and evaluation of two large non- profit social justice organizations, The Coalition and COLEGAS, whose missions are closing racial equity gaps, increasing critical race consciousness, and the advancement for professionals of color in California Community Colleges. Through his research experience, Adrián works with grant foundations to evaluate and assess outcomes for initiatives led at REC.
At USC, Adrián previously led an alliance of 47 California Community Colleges that participate in monthly professional development sessions on racial equity issues, administer campus-wide assessments of campus racial climate, and join virtual communities of practice through an online equity resource platform, Equity Connect, of which he led its development. He is a invited keynote speaker and organizer of equity retreats for higher education institutions, in virtual and in-person formats. Adrián leads a grant-funded initiative of racial equity resources for California Community Colleges, which includes serving as an editor of a research and practice solution brief series focused on various racial equity topics, the development of a statewide student ideation challenge to center student voices on equity issues, and leading a Racial Equity Commission to propose a new racial equity model for California Community Colleges. Adrián is part of a core leadership team for Takeoff: Institutional Innovations for College Men of Color. The initiative will support community colleges with funding and a professional development program for two years and spotlight national models that advance success for college men of color.
Adrián’s past experience includes student advising, finance, and project management. Adrián earned a B.A. in sociology, an M.A. in public policy, and a Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy, all from the University of Southern California. Adrián’s dissertation won the Romano Dissertation of the Year Award from The Council for the Study of Community Colleges. Before USC, he is a proud Beaver, having an Associate’s degree from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
