Our Staff
LeManuel Lee Bitsóí (Diné), EdD, is a critical ethnographer and bioethicist. He is a skilled diversity, equity, and inclusion leader and administrator, and as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Brandeis, he brings extensive experience in collaborating with students, faculty, and staff to implement diversity-driven initiatives, policies, and programming. His previous appointments include Director of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and Chief Diversity Officer at Stony Brook University. Additionally, Dr. Bitsóí has devoted his career to enhancing opportunities for underrepresented minority students to become scientists, science educators, and scientifically-informed community members.
Previously, Dr. Bitsóí served as lead Native American scholar for an initiative focusing on men of color sponsored by The College Board. He also served as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. A first-generation Native American (Navajo) graduate of New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, Dr. Bitsóí earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of New Mexico, where he was initiated into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He holds a Master of Education from Harvard University where he was initiated into another prestigious honor society — Phi Delta Kappa. Dr. Bitsóí earned a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania where his research focused on the conditions that encourage and discourage American Indians from pursuing higher education, a subject upon which he continues to publish.
Office Directors
Don Greenstein, JD, has a background in conflict management, mediation, facilitation, organizational development and creative dispute management processes. He has over 34 years of experience working with an array of situations and assisting in peaceful conflict resolutions.
Don is a “re-formed” attorney, with a passion for empowering people and entities with ongoing and long-term relationships to find acceptable outcomes for all involved. He volunteers to train and mentor mediators in court-based and community mediation programs as well as facilitating Restorative Justice Circles.
In addition to serving as the Brandeis University Ombuds Director, Don is an affiliate of Boston Law Collaborative, adjunct professor with the MGH Institute for Medical Professionals. He has been a senior affiliate of the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration and is a retired embedded dispute resolver reservist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency where he was involved in emergency disaster responses throughout the US. Don is a member of the Association of Conflict Resolvers, International Ombuds Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Environmental Protection Agencies’ Environmental Roster, and the Boston Law Collaboration Workplace and Business Mediation Roster.
Charles Chip McNeal, MEd, PhD, is a seasoned, transformative leader and DEIB expert with a distinguished career at the intersection of arts, education, and social justice. With a long track record in executive leadership, organizational development, and equity initiatives, he has successfully navigated complex environments to drive meaningful change. As a pioneer in inclusive and responsive pedagogy, Dr. McNeal was the first-ever Director of Education and Equity for San Francisco Ballet Association. He was the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity and Community for the esteemed San Francisco Opera. He has held senior leadership roles with the Alameda County Office of Education, and the California Department of Education. Dr. McNeal has dedicated his career to empowering individuals and communities through civic engagement and education. His work at Stanford University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music has focused on developing anti-racist frameworks, fostering inclusive learning environments, and building capacity for systemic change in education.
Dr. McNeal’s academic journey has been a significant contributor to his expertise. He holds two bachelor’s degrees – in psychology and sociology from Excelsior University, providing him with a strong foundation in understanding human behavior and societal structures. His master’s in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University equipped him with the skills to develop effective educational programs and devise curricula. Dr. McNeal earned a PhD in Transformative Studies in education from the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. He has been recognized for his contributions to the field through numerous awards and honors, including the Brandeis Student Hero Award (2023); in 2015, he received the Yale Distinguished Music Education Partnership Award for outstanding program development. He was selected as an Inaugural Artist-Scholar of Influence by the Manhattan School of Music in 2021. Appointed by Mayor Libby Schaaf, Dr. McNeal served as a Cultural Arts Commissioner for the City of Oakland, CA, in 2022.
As the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education and Learning Initiatives for Brandeis University, he leads students, staff, and faculty in equity-centered learning. Dr. McNeal and his team develop workshops, seminars, courses, symposia, and other experiential learning opportunities that cultivate the “beloved community” that Brandeisians deserve. Workshops address bias, belonging, racism, antisemitism, many identity-based aggressions, and more.
Peter Rojas serves as Director of the Intercultural Center (ICC). Peter’s passion for DEI work is deeply personal, shaped by his own challenges and obstacles within his journey. As a higher education practitioner, Peter’s goal is to provide opportunities for students of all backgrounds to prepare for the next stage of their lives and create a sense of community.
Peter’s career has taken him across the country, allowing him to explore various roles in higher education and nonprofit work. He began at the University of Indiana-Indianapolis as a coordinator for fraternity and sorority life, drawing from his own experiences as a member of Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity. He then moved to Los Angeles to manage a nonprofit organization focused on helping underrepresented communities enter the tech industry, particularly supporting students at community colleges and high schools.
Peter earned his bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his master’s in higher education administration from Florida International University.
Jamie Wire serves as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC). Their academic and professional interests have resulted in a dedication to supporting historically underrepresented and under-served students in education such as LGBTQIA+ students, BIPOC students, students with disabilities, and first-generation students.
As a lifelong educator, Jamie’s career has included serving as a public high school special education teacher in North Carolina, a graduate assistant in the Gender & LGBTQIA+ Center at Elon University, and as the assistant director of the Queer and Trans Resource and Advocacy Center at Roger Williams University. Jamie is also a member of a research team examining the outcomes of a co-curricular intercultural learning certificate program for pre-services teachers. She has earned an MA in Higher Education from Elon University, an MA in Liberal Studies from North Carolina State University, and a BA in Criminology from North Carolina State University.