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Pride CENTER STAFF DIRECTORY
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221 Memorial Hall
Athens, GA 30602
706-542-4077
Biographical Info
John Alvarez Turner is the Interim Director for the Office of Multicultural Services and Programs. John’s professional background in the field of Education spans over fifteen years in K-12, corporate training, and higher education. Prior to UGA, John served as the Associate Director for Hispanic Outreach, Student Success Instructor, Manager of the Dr. Shirla R. McClain Gallery of Akron’s Black History and Culture, and Academic Advisor at The University of Akron as well as a Commissioner on the Civil Rights Commission for the City of Akron, Ohio. He also proudly worked as a Middle School ESL Social Studies Teacher for 7 years.
At UGA, John is responsible for providing leadership with regard to planning, advising, developing and implementing a variety of programs, educational offerings, and trainings that focuses on providing opportunities that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, multicultural education and awareness, and intercultural engagement that also honors intersections of identity for the office of Multicultural Services and Programs.
John holds a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from The University of Akron and a Bachelor’s in History from the University of Central Florida. John joined UGA Multicultural Services and Programs in this role in 2018.
John is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Education in Student Affairs Leadership at the University of Georgia
Biographical Info
Smith provides strategic leadership to support UGA and the Division of Student Affairs in effectively addressing the needs of UGA’s increasingly diverse student population, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the student experience. As associate vice president, he directly supervises three departments within Student Affairs: International Student Life, the Pride Center, and Multicultural Services and Programs. Smith reports directly to the vice president for Student Affairs and serves as a member of the senior administrative and leadership teams for the Division of Student Affairs.