University Names New Senior Director of Institutional Equity, Title IX

Marco Mendoza MPA’18, who has worked at The University of Texas at Dallas since 2013, has been appointed as senior director of institutional equity and Title IX initiatives.

As the University’s Title IX coordinator – a role he has held in an interim capacity since November – Mendoza plans to use his previous experience in Title IX and human resources to bring various campus groups together to address these sensitive topics.

“I’m looking forward to the outreach and the involvement with students, faculty and staff,” Mendoza said. “We want to dispel the stigma that this office is only here to react to reports. Creating an equitable campus community that is free from discrimination and sexual misconduct is the responsibility of every member of our community. We want to be a partner and resource in creating such a culture.”

Mendoza started at UT Dallas as director of institutional equity and equal employment opportunity and Title IX coordinator. He has served as director of employee relations and organizational development since 2014. Before joining UT Dallas, Mendoza worked in human resources at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

Institutional equity efforts provide staff, faculty and students with the resources and tools to ensure success in complying with the University’s nondiscrimination policy, sexual misconduct policy, retaliation policy, and all related federal and state equal opportunity laws.

Title IX personnel investigate allegations of sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, sexual violence, stalking, domestic violence, dating violence and retaliation.

“Marco is a leader who brings experience as an advocate and an administrator,” said Sanaz Okhovat, who is serving as interim chief compliance officer and oversees compliance, institutional equity and Title IX initiatives at the University. “His knowledge of Title IX issues combined with his collaborative approach will greatly benefit our community.”

In his new role, Mendoza will work to develop, implement and monitor University programs and policies that promote and ensure compliance with Title IX, including educational programs and training for students, faculty and staff. He aims to foster a proactive culture on Title IX issues, ideally preventing problems before they occur.

“We want to meet with various student groups, seek input on what resources they need and do prevention-type training,” Mendoza said. “We want to introduce our office and our staff so students know who we are and feel comfortable calling us.”

Okhovat, who also serves as assistant vice president for research integrity and outreach, said the ultimate goal for the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX Initiatives is for the University to be a national leader in responding to and preventing sexual misconduct and related issues, and to serve as a resource for other institutions.

Mendoza earned a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from McMurry University. He has a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certificate and has received the highest level of civil rights investigator certification from the Association of Title IX Administrators.