Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement

Billy Curtis has worked on college campuses as a professional since 1990.  Over the years he has held many positions from Hall Director to Director of Student Activities.  Billy was appointed to be the first full time coordinator of LGBT services at UC Berkeley in 1999.  During his time at Cal, Billy has led in the development and implementation of a full suite of services for the campus LGBT community.  Under his leadership GenEq’s programs and impact have grown exponentially.  He established Cal’s first Lavender Graduation, led UCB to address Hate Crimes and Hate Acts more effectively, and led the university toward better inclusion for the campus Transgender community.

Billy is responsible for providing consultation to UC Berkeley staff, faculty, students, and senior campus administrators on policies that pertain to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, intimate partner abuse, sexual harassment, and hate crimes/bias related incidents.  He is committed to fostering a campus climate that resists exclusion, and values the myriad of identities present among the student, faculty and staff populations.  Billy began his career journey at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology.  It was during his time there as a resident assistant, student leader and activist, that he began developing a strong desire to work for making institutions of higher education more responsive and inclusive of various diverse identities, particularly marginalized identities.  He later went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of San Francisco. Billy is not only active on campus but also sits on various Boards of Directors and city-wide committees in San Francisco.

He is also active in a number of national organizations and has delivered lectures on race, gender and sexuality at other universities nationally.  He is excited about the possibilities the full realization of a Gender Equity Resource Center can bring to UC Berkeley.

christine (cici) ambrosio is a Cal alum and current graduate student at UC Davis. Over the past 20+ years, she has worked as the Director of Women*s Resources focusing on initiatives that increase inclusion and visibility of women and other marginalized genders at UC Berkeley. *We welcome all who experience life through the lens of woman in body, spirit, identity - past, present, future, and fluid.

Over the years, cici has collaboratively with campus partners to plan Relationship Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention Months, the longstanding Empowering Women of Color Conference (EWOCC), Our Monologues, and self-defense classes.  Before the campus PATH to Care Center was created, she co-led efforts to educate the campus on sexual violence, including being part of the Systemwide efforts through the Office of Violence against Women grant.

cici began her career in the UC system as a student worker in the Doe Library.  Later, she worked as a student coordinator for the Immigrant Student Program (ISP) and a front desk clerk in Student Activities and Services.  In addition, she was very involved in the campus Pilipino community - in groups like Pilipino American Alliance (PAA) and contributing to maganda magazine.  She immersed herself in Tagalog classes and participated as a Fulbright Scholar for the Advanced Filipino Abroad Program.  All these experiences have inspired them to work in higher education as a way of give back to the community by helping students who may feel lost in a large institution like Berkeley.  After finishing her B.A. in Art Practice, cici took a position at the Office of Student Conduct.  Later, she finished her Education Masters in Arts in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  After graduation, cici worked briefly as a professor’s assistant at UCLA’s Department of Gerontology before returning to Berkeley.

cici has continued to be involved in the community as a former runner for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a coach for the Runbutans (fundraising effort for the Manilatown Heritage Foundation to rebuild the International Hotel housing for seniors) and the SLC Sole Team (fundraising effort for the Student Learning Center), and serves on the board of the Prytanean Alumnae, Inc.   Outside of work, cici enjoys exploring grocery stores, sleeping, and has a deep appreciation for a variety of boba drinks and milk tea.

Em Huang (they/them) has worked to advance queer and trans community, policy, and advocacy work through an intersectional lens as a higher education professional over the past six years. Their experiences as a queer, trans, and nonbinary East & Southeast Asian American have informed their passion for social justice education and advocacy, particularly focused on marginalized communities.

Em began their higher education journey at the University of Southern California, where they received their B.A. in Sociology with minors in Gender Studies, Psychology, and Natural Science. At USC, Em discovered a passion for engaging campus LGBTQ+ communities as a program coordinator for the peer mentoring program and in various student leadership roles exploring the intersections of queer & trans identity with Asian identity, faith/religion/spirituality, athletics, and service work. Em then attended the University of Vermont to earn their M.Ed in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration. In their time at UVM, Em focused on equity and inclusion work by connecting their role in Residential Life to their work in the Prism Center, Women & Gender Equity Center, Mosaic Center for Students of Color, and Division of Human Resources, Diversity, and Multicultural Affairs.

Em joined the Cal community in 2017 as a Resident Director and oversaw the UNITY Theme Program, the living/learning community for LGBTQ+ students. As the UNITY RD, they developed a new curriculum for the program, instructed the academic seminar, planned signature programs including the campus-wide Drag Show, built strong partnerships with GenEq and the Queer Alliance Resource Center, and served on Pink Tank, a GenEq & Tang collaborative work group for LGBTQ+ health & wellness. Em also served as a GenEq Fellow, working on initiatives including NorCal T-Camp, the inter-campus retreat for trans students, and advising the Queer & Asian Conference. Em has also served on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for LGBTQ+ Communities at Cal as a staff representative. As the 2020-2021 co-chair of the committee, they have worked to identify and address issues of policy and practice impacting LGBTQ+ communities at Cal in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff across campus. Em has led trainings, workshops, and presentations about LGBTQ+ issues at campus, regional, and national conferences, and written articles about identity development theory and QTBIPOC student experiences.

Outside of work, Em enjoys coaching volleyball, playing music, and geeking out about queer media. Em is incredibly excited and humbled to move into this new role, bringing their deep love for the LGBTQ+ community and all that it encompasses at Cal. They look forward to building more relationships with and across our shared communities, and amplifying the experiences and needs of the community as a fierce advocate.

Joanna Villegas is an educator and artist existing loudly as femme queer and non-binary. They are a transfer and first-generation scholar, child of Mexican immigrant parents, born and raised in Barrio Logan in San Diego, California. Joanna earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Chican[x] Studies from the University of California, Davis in 2013. From 2014-2018 Joanna served as an advocate for LGBTQIA+ Issues with the UC Davis Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Asexual Resource Center. They earned a Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of San Francisco where they worked with the Office of the Vice Provost and Office of Diversity Engagement and Community Outreach. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joanna served as a basic needs advocate serving countless students, their families, and community members through a drive thru food distribution, and supported the inaugural food pantry and SparkPoint Center at Chabot Community College. Joanna is committed to social equity and holistic education that celebrates and centers the identities, experiences and hxstory of underserved, underrepresented and marginalized people in our communities. As the Assistant Director of Student Programs and Leadership, they hope to foster collaboration and connection to uplift opportunities for intergenerational healing and pleasure activism.