Staff of Color Association

Upcoming Meetings

Join SOCA Today! Our lunch meetings are open to all staff members at DU. Email us at soca@abadiadetortoreos.com to join our amazing group. Upon receiving your email, we will add you to our SOCA family Teams group.


When: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m
Where: Most of our in-person meetings are at the Burwell Center for Career Achievement at
 2190 E. Asbury Avenue, Denver, CO 80210
Lunch: Please RSVP to all our events because we want to make sure we have enough food

2024-2025 meeting dates

• Tuesday, September 17th at Burwell Center 340  
• Thursday, October 3rd at Burwell Center 340 [Quarterly Meeting with Chancellor and Provost]
• Wednesday, October 16th at Burwell Center 340
• Thursday, November 14th at Burwell Center 340
• Tuesday, December 3rd at Burwell Center 340
• Wednesday, January 15th at Burwell Center 340
• Wednesday, January 22nd at Burwell Center 340  [Quarterly Meeting with Chancellor and Provost]
• Thursday, February 20th at TBA
• Tuesday, March 18th at Burwell Center 340
• Wednesday, April 16th at Burwell Center 340
• Wednesday, May 7th at Burwell Center 340  [Quarterly Meeting with Chancellor and Provost]
• Thursday, May 22nd at Burwell Center 340
• Tuesday, June 3rd at Burwell Center 340
  • End of year social event

Meeting Minutes

SOCA has moved to http://denveru.sharepoint.com/sites/DUStaffofColorAssociation, you will need to register as a member for access.

Past Meeting Topics & Activities

• Advocacy
• Meet with Dean candidates
• LinkedIn profile workshop
• Tuition Waiver usage
• Resume Services
• Managing Up training
• Social Mixers
• Support DU Affinity Groups
• Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Excellence
• Performance reviews
• Professional Development

View and download photos from our first in-person meeting of 2021.

SOCA Officers

Elections for new officers are held annually during the April meeting. See our bylaws for more information.

• Co-Chair: Marissa Ronquillo, marissa.ronquillo@abadiadetortoreos.com
• Co-Chair: Fatima Rezaie, fatima.rezaie@abadiadetortoreos.com
• Secretary: Katia Miller, katia.miller@abadiadetortoreos.com
• Treasurer: Kathy Aliaga, Kathy.Aliaga@abadiadetortoreos.com
• Social & Recruitment Chair: Claudia Vega Norell claudia.veganorell@abadiadetortoreos.com
• Senate Liaison: Waltrina DeFrantz-Dufor waltrina.defrantz@abadiadetortoreos.com
• Web and Tech: Alex Martinez, alex.martinez@abadiadetortoreos.com

SOCA Bylaws

Bylaws of the Staff of Color Association (SOCA), a staff organization of the University of Denver, approved in June 2011.

• Article 1: Name, Mission & History

  Recognizing the unique experiences of Staff of Color and the need for support, the Staff of Color Association was established with the support of the Center of Multicultural Excellence in February 2011. The mission of the group is to create a transformative and supportive community to promote personal and professional growth through shared experiences, strategies and resources for Staff of Color. The organization will to serve as a means to assist the University in recruiting, retaining and advocating, Staff of Color. 

  While SOCA efforts will focus on issues facing Staff of Color the group acknowledges that any issues it will address will also positively impact all DU Staff. The organization will work to collaborate with other staff focused organizations (such as Staff Advisory Council) where mutual interests intersect. 

  Through regular meetings and programming, SOCA focuses on issues that include but are not limited to: 

  • Networking and Community Building 

  • Professional Development 

  • Raising and addressing issues related to the success of Staff of Color at the University of Denver 

• Article 2: Membership

  Membership is open to any staff member currently employed at the University of Denver. Attendance at programs and meetings is open to all other interested parties, but only members may vote in elections or other matters. Membership rosters will be kept by the Secretary.  The group will recruit membership from all levels of the University and is not exclusively for benefited or non-exempt staff. 

• Article 3: Officers

  The following officers shall constitute the governing body of the Staff of Color Association. The term of office is two years. Individuals may not hold the same office for more than three consecutive years. An officer may also hold a Coordinator position, but may not hold more than one of the officer positions at any given time.  

  Co-Chairs: Two Co-Chairs shall be elected on an annual basis according to the terms set forth in this document. The duties of the Co-Chair include, but are not limited to: establishing time and place of meetings, chairing meetings, representing SOCA in public statements and writings, working closely with the other officers and members or coordinators, providing overall guidance in the management of the organization and approving expenditures as needed.

  Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for keeping the minutes and taking attendance at meetings; publicizing meetings and other programs; providing minutes to the membership in a timely manner and conducting meetings in the absence of the Co-Chairs.

  Treasurer: The Treasurer will prepare the annual budget development, manage the organization’s budget, ensure organization bills are paid in a timely fashion; and presenting a report on the budget to the membership as needed. The Treasurer must have knowledge and access to the University’s financial system to perform duties.

  Webmaster: The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the website and social media accounts in a timely fashion in order to facilitate communication and marketing of the organization.

  Social & Recruitment: This position is responsible for working closely with the officers and webmaster to publicize the activities and goals of group and to encourage membership throughout the University. The Social and Recruitment Chair is responsible for maintaining the SOCA listserv and managing the organization’s membership. Responsibilities may also include, but is not limited to: creating or updating brochures; creating flyers; providing news releases to University or other Media, etc.

• Article 4: Coordinator Positions

  In addition to the officer positions listed in Article 3, SOCA shall maintain the following coordinator positions on a standing basis. These individuals are appointed by the Co-Chairs after soliciting volunteers. The term of office is one year. There is no limit to the number of terms an individual may be elected to the same position or the number of concurrent positions that may be held by an individual, but diversity of leadership is valued.

  Liaison to Staff Advisory Council (SAC).  The SAC Liaison will attend SAC meeting on a regular basis to both represent SOCA and to update SOCA members of the activities of SAC.  

• Article 5: Nominations & Elections

  Nominations for officers shall be solicited at the April meeting and published to the members via the listserv, website or other means. Elections will be held at the May meeting each year.  Winners will be elected by a simple majority vote of members via email and/or by those present at the meeting. Vacancies that occur before the annual election shall be filled by appointment at the discretion of the co-chairs. 

• Article 6: Meetings

  Regular meetings shall be held on a monthly basis for a minimum of one hour at any appropriate location on campus or virtually. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the co-chairs.

• Article 7: External Consultant

  SOCA members may recruit an external consultant to the group to provide support and encouragement to the co-chairs and other members in achieving the organizations goals. This consultant may be from within or outside the University of Denver community, but must agree to work on a voluntary basis throughout the year as needed. 

• Article 8: Amendments to the Bylaws

  These bylaws may be amended at any meeting by a 2/3 majority vote provided that the proposed amendment was announced and publicized to the membership at least one month in advance of the amending date. 

Contact Us

Email us your interest to join, comments, concerns, questions or meeting suggestions for the Staff of Color Association at:
soca@abadiadetortoreos.com

SOCA History