Dear colleagues,
After comprehensive national searches, I am pleased to announce two new hires at the Systemwide Office of Civil Rights (SOCR).
First, Meena Morey Chandra will join the University of California as its inaugural Anti-Discrimination Director, effective May 5, 2025. Meena will lead the Anti-Discrimination Systemwide Office, which is part of the Systemwide Office of Civil Rights (SOCR), reporting to me. Under Meena’s leadership, this new team will provide education, investigation and resolution guidance, and strategic support related to UC’s Anti-Discrimination Policy to UC’s 10 campuses, six academic health centers, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Meena brings extensive legal and leadership experience to this role. Most recently, she served as an Enforcement Director with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), overseeing three OCR regional offices. During her time with OCR, she also served as the OCR Cleveland Regional Director. Meena has deep subject-matter expertise with respect to Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504/ADA matters in higher education, as well as in K-12. Prior to her time with OCR, Meena worked at a law firm specializing in class action matters. Meena earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Cleveland State University and her juris doctorate degree from the Cleveland State University College of Law.
In addition, Wendy Tobias will join SOCR on May 6, 2025, as the inaugural Systemwide Disability Rights Director, also reporting to me. Since 2021, Wendy has served as the inaugural Chief Accessibility and Inclusion Officer at UC San Francisco, also serving as UCSF’s ADA Coordinator. In that role, she supported the academic campus, the UCSF Medical Center, and the USCF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Before joining UCSF, Wendy served as the Director of San Francisco State University’s (SFSU) Disability Programs and Resource Center.
Wendy earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership – all from SFSU. She is also a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and holds a certification in Rehabilitation Counseling. Wendy brings a wealth of subject matter expertise and collaborative leadership savvy to this new systemwide role, which will focus on ensuring UC’s compliance with all applicable state and federal disability laws and policies, as well as designing solutions, promoting awareness, and ensuring that UC is a welcoming place for individuals with disabilities to thrive.
We are thrilled to welcome Meena and Wendy to our team, allowing us to meaningfully expand the support and resources available through SOCR and better serve our UC community. Please join us in welcoming our new colleagues to the University of California!
Please note: These recruitments were completed before the systemwide hiring freeze was announced.
Sincerely,
Catherine
Catherine Criswell Spear
Executive Director | Systemwide Office of Civil Rights
University of California, Office of the President