Print
Share page with AddThis

Salem Announces New Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Regina Zaragoza Frey to serve as the City’s first lead staffer on racial equity work
Posted on: April 26, 2022 - 3:04pm
rzf

Mayor Kim Driscoll today announced that Regina Zaragoza Frey has joined the City as its first ever Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Zaragoza Frey comes to Salem from Colorado, where she was the Manager for Inclusiveness and Equity for Thorne Nature Experience, one of the state’s first and largest environmental education organizations. Prior to that she was the Volunteer Manager for the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County and a Bilingual Emergency Response Specialist and Legal Advocate for the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, where she provided victim advocacy and support to survivors of domestic violence in times of crisis.

In the Boulder community Zaragoza Frey served on the Board of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and continues to be a part of their DEI Committee. She was also a founding member of Boulder County’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. Fluent in English and Spanish, as well as highly proficient in French, Zaragoza Frey holds a Master of Law in Ethics and Compliance from the University of Colorado.

“On behalf of the City of Salem I am pleased to welcome Regina to our community and to this important new role,” said Mayor Driscoll. “Regina will be a leader in some of the most important work we are undertaking today. In addition to advancing the recommendations and groundwork outlined by the Race Equity Task Force’s recent report she will help us strengthen our hiring, retention, and training practices, examine policies and projects through an equity lens, and galvanize the forthcoming Race Equity Commission. There is a lot to do, but I’m confident that, working collaboratively with one another, we can move this important effort forward and that Regina will be a singular, insightful, and important leader in that mission.”

“I am delighted to introduce myself as the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director for the City of Salem,” said Zaragoza Frey. “In my new role, I will strive to advance racial equity in the City, amplify underrepresented voices, address systemic racism prevalent in government entities and strive to galvanize community support for DEI efforts. I have begun the process of getting to know community members, the Race Equity Task Force, the City staff, and partner organizations and look forward to continuing this effort in the coming months.”