Meet our Staff

Amy Salinas Westmoreland

she/her
Director of Multicultural Student Services
Amy.Westmoreland@wwu.edu

Amy is the inaugural Director of Multicultural Student Services at Western Washington University. In her current role, Amy leads the Office of Multicultural Student Services, which oversees the Ethnic Student Center, the Blue Resource Center, the Black Student Coalition, and La Plaza, the university’s newly established Latine Student Center. Amy has worked to create a vibrant and supportive environment for students from diverse backgrounds and marginalized communities.

She holds a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Pennsylvania State University, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Throughout her career, Amy has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with over a decade of experience in higher education. Before joining Western, she served as the Director of Assessment for the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity at Penn State, where she contributed to the university’s diversity mission and helped develop the university’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion climate survey. She also worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the Assistant Director of Social Justice Programs, where she facilitated workshops and large-scale events to foster a more inclusive campus community.

Amy has successfully built strong partnerships with various community and academic organizations to promote social justice and inclusivity. She is a committed advocate for creating spaces where all students can thrive, and she frequently leads training and workshops on topics such as power, privilege, and oppression.

Amy identifies as Black and Mexican and first generation. Born and raised in Racine, WI, Amy has lived throughout the country (WI, PA, CA, WA), and now calls Bellingham home. She loves spending time with friends and family and traveling both domestically and internationally. On her downtime, you can find Amy at a local bookstore, enjoying a good meal with loved ones, relaxing near the water or painting.

JoeHahn

he/they
Interim Director of Multicultural Student Services
Joe.Hahn@wwu.edu

JoeHahn is the Interim Director of Multicultural Student Services while Amy is on leave for Fall 2025. JoeHahn also serves as the Director of LGBTQ+ Western and has worked in collaboration with the MSS team for three years.

JoeHahn is a Black Queer Afrofuturist who centers student development, autonomy, holistic well-being, and self-determination. He studied Interdisciplinary Studies (B.A.) at Western Oregon University and Student Affairs in Higher Education (M.S.) at Colorado State University.

JoeHahn grew up in Northern California but has lived in many states across the country. Prior to their time at Western Washington University, he was a Resident Director at his alma mater Western Oregon University where he had been a student leader in Residence Life and LGBTQ+ programs and clubs. He left Higher Education to become the inaugural Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program Coordinator for Benton County, Oregon. When the LGBTQ+ Director role opened at WWU, they were invited by a former student staff now working at Western to apply and he instantly knew he had to work with the wonderful students of Western.

JoeHahn lives in Bellingham with his partner and pets (his dog Atticus and cat Pixel). 

Visit JoeHahn to learn more about MSS and LGBTQ+ Western in VU 753!

Nia Gipson

she/her/hers
Coordinator of the Black Student Coalition
Nia.Gipson@wwu.edu

Nia was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned her B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics. Nia went on to earn her M.S. in Educational Leadership with a concentration in College Student Development at Oklahoma State University. In her spare time, Nia likes to cook, dance, paint, pretend she’s on Wildin’ Out, and go on nature walks. Serving as the inaugural Coordinator of the BSC is immensely important to Nia. She is honored and excited to be able to lay the foundation and help create community and systems of support for our Black Identifying Students. Nothing matters to Nia more than making students feel like they belong, so she hopes to create an environment that is more than just a place to learn, but a place that feels like home.

Quacyya Munoz Cuaresma

she/her/hers
BRC Retention Specialist
Quacyya.Cuaresma@wwu.edu
Blue Resource Center

Quacyya is the inaugural Retention Specialist at the Blue Resource Center.

She was born and raised on Dena’ina Athabascan land, known as Anchorage, Alaska. She began her journey in higher education as a first-generation college graduate at the University of Alaska Anchorage where she worked at Multicultural Student Services and earned a B.S. Health Sciences and a Master of Public Health. 

Quacyya's academic concentrations in health education, public policy, and political science, as well as her professional disciplines of public health, social justice, and higher education led to her development in dissecting systems of power and oppression as determinants of health. She builds protective factors in her communities by nurturing systems of care, trust, and joy. Prior to supporting and advocating for students with marginalized and intersecting identities in higher education, she worked toward systemic and domestic violence prevention in her community. She has a strong foundation and passion for the intersection of community wellness and social justice. 

Outside of work and academics, Quacyya’s rejuvenating practices include writing poetry, building community, and reading and playing outside. Feel free to connect with Quacyya at the Blue Resource Center located in Viking Union 720 or email her at cuaresq@wwu.edu.

Rodrigo Gonzalez-Juarez

he/him/él
La Plaza Retention Specialist
Rodrigo.Gonzalez-Juarez@wwu.edu
La Plaza - Latine Student Center

Hello! My name is Rodrigo Gonzalez-Juarez and I use he & him pronouns. I received my bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State University and my master’s degree from California State University, Long Beach, both in Social Work. Before moving to Washington, I was an Academic Counselor and Peer Mentor Program Coordinator for the TRIO Student Support Services program at Oregon State University-Cascades in Bend, Oregon where I supported students who were first-generation, low income, and/or had a disability.

I am excited and grateful to serve as the inaugural La Plaza Retention Specialist at WWU! I look forward to supporting Latine students through building bridges between students and resources, creating Latine community and spaces, and forming relationships. I am passionate about supporting Latine students in obtaining upward social mobility through higher education.

I was born and raised in Auburn, a small town in Northern California. My mom is from Patzcuaro, Michoacan and my dad is from Colorines, Estado de Mexico. Spanish was my first language and I love practicing with others. In my spare time, I enjoy running, going on long walks, watching the Mexico National Soccer Team, and spending time with my wife and our two cats Chivo (brown tabby) and Aidan (orange and white).

Please come by my office in the Multicultural Center and say hi! I am always open to helping find resources, answering questions, or chatting about life.