Harper College is closed Friday, July 3, for Independence Day (Observed).
Michelé Smith, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)
Vice President of Workforce Solutions and Strategic Alliances and Interim Vice President
of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
msmith@harpercollege.edu
Dr. Michelé Smith has more than two decades of experience in higher education, currently serving as vice president of workforce solutions and strategic alliances and interim vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion at William Rainey Harper College. She held progressive leadership roles at the institution as a division dean, associate provost, and special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion. During her first six years at Harper, Dr. Smith served as tenured faculty, teaching pre-service early childhood and elementary education students while supervising the campus child learning center. In 2016, she co-authored the book Inclusive Directions: The Role of the Chief Diversity Officer in Community College Leadership. Prior to working at Harper College, Dr. Smith worked for KinderCare Learning Centers, Inc. and The Xerox Corporation. Her ability to enthusiastically engage audiences has led to opportunities for her to speak on the local, regional, and national level.
Dr. Smith believes that education is the key to upward mobility. She is a first-generation college graduate who is also a proud alumna of Head Start. Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwestern University, a certificate in childcare center administration and management from Triton College, a master’s degree in early childhood education leadership and advocacy from National Louis University, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Northern Illinois University.
Mary Budyak, A.S. (She/Her/Hers)
Operations Coordinator to the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
mbudyak@harpercollege.edu
847.925.6397
Mary Budyak is the Operations Coordinator to the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In this role, she helps plan and coordinate a wide range of programs, services and resources for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in collaboration with internal and external constituencies. She also manages fundamental departmental operations and high-level administrative assistance. Currently, Mary supports the Shared Governance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and serves as a member of the Awareness and Outreach Goal Team.
Mary has over ten years of experience at Harper College, including working as Administrative Coordinator and Executive Assistant in the Office of the President, Communications/Community Relations and Foundations. She has worked on various committees, including the 50th Anniversary Committee where she served as administrative support and co-chair for the volunteer committee, and the Shared Governance Coordination and Review Committee where she served as support, co-chair and classified staff representative. In addition, she has participated on numerous search committees which include Presidential, Vice President, Director, Manager, Coordinator and Executive Assistant positions.
Prior to joining Harper Mary worked in the insurance, telecommunications, food service and marketing industries in various senior level administrative positions. She has an associate degree in Secretarial Science from Wilbur Wright Jr. College in Chicago, Illinois.
Jessica P. Cameron
Cultural Center Manager
cj39529@harpercollege.edu
847.925.6358
Jessica P. Cameron is a higher education leader with more than a decade of experience advancing student success, leadership development, and innovation. She is committed to creating authentic, equitable environments and implementing strategic solutions that foster meaningful change. Before joining Harper College, she served as Assistant Director for the President's Emerging Scholars Program and Adjunct Instructor for Personal Leadership at the University of Minnesota, where she taught courses focused on personal and positional leadership, ethics, values, and leadership strengths.
Jessica has also held leadership roles at St. Olaf College, the North Star STEM Alliance, and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and served on the African American Leadership Forum's Education Committee. She was selected for the 2026 Social Justice Leadership Training Institute Cohort 50, received the 2024 Great Service to the University Department Award, and was nominated for the 2024–2025 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. She holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Policy Development with an emphasis in Higher Education and Educational Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Biological Pre-Med Illustration.
Sonnet Gabbard, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)
Coordinator for Student Diversity Initiatives
gs23935@harpercollege.edu
847.925.6839
Dr. Sonnet Gabbard is the Coordinator for Student Initiatives. In this role, she works closely with students, staff, faculty, alumni and community partners to serve Harper’s community. Through designing quality programming, reviewing/developing policies, creating resources and coordinating support strategies for students, she assists in the implementation of the overall mission of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to foster a sense of community, belonging, and students from minoritized backgrounds.
Dr. Gabbard has taught for 12+ years at several Midwestern universities, including: DePaul University, Roosevelt University, Butler University, and Ohio State University. Prior to her time in higher education, she worked in the nonprofit sector advocating for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights and health care. She has B.A. in Political Science from Butler University, an M.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in WGSS from THE Ohio State University. Dr. Gabbard is the DEI staff liason and member of the employee resource groups (ERG) SAFE @ Harper — Staff, Administrators, and Faculty for Equality and LAND — Learning about Abilities, not Disabilities.
Esmeralda Guerrero Lopez, M.A. (She/Her/Ella)
Coordinator for Student Diversity Initiatives and Interim Undocumented Student Liaison
eguerrer@harpercollege.edu
847.925.6689
Esmeralda Guerrero Lopez serves as the Coordinator for Student Diversity Initiatives where she collaborates with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners to advance student success, belonging, leadership development, and equitable access to higher education. In addition to her primary role, she currently serves as the Interim Undocumented Student Liaison for Harper College, supporting undocumented students through advocacy, resource navigation, training, and campus-wide initiatives designed to foster inclusive student success.
With more than 18 years of experience in higher education, Esmeralda has worked across multiple functional areas including admissions, academic advising, student engagement, diversity and inclusion, and student life. She advises the Latinos Unidos student organization and has developed and led numerous programs focused on cultural identity, leadership development, mentorship, and community engagement.
Esmeralda is actively involved in several campus and professional organizations. She is a member of DREAM — Diverse Relationships Engaged in Affirming Multiculturalism and sits on the executive committee for Voice of Immigrants Committed to Equity (VOICE) Employee Resource Group.She is a member of the Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education (ILACHE) and served on the National Advisory Council (NAC) for Student Leadership and Participation for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE).
A proud Harper College alumna, Esmeralda earned her Associate’s degree from Harper College, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northern Illinois University, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education from Northeastern Illinois University. She continues to give back to her alma mater through her involvement with Harper College alumni and student success initiatives.