Ishara Casellas Connors

Dr. Ishara Casellas Connors joined the Bush School’s Department of Public Service and Administration in 2021. Dr.Casellas Connors has an extensive background in higher education administration and in diversity and equity policy, having previously served as Associate Director for the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University and as Assistant Dean for Diversity at Texas A&M University’s College of Geosciences.

Casellas Connors holds a PhD from Boston College in Higher Education, an MA from Columbia University in Higher and Postsecondary Education, and a BA from Clark University in Business Management. Dr. Casellas Connors’ research examines issues of equity higher education, focused on state and institutional policy related to minority serving institutions. This work addresses the organizational efforts to address diversity and equity within complex policy and organizational landscapes. Finally, Dr. Casellas Connors considers the experiences of displaced learners, such as refugee and asylum students, in U.S. higher education to frame how state and institutional policy create a context for student success.