Grace Bagunu is a higher education professional and leadership expert. Grace currently serves as the assistant dean of student affairs at Revelle College at the University of California San Diego. Grace has worked with UCSD Extension to provide leadership development training to high school and college students as well as community organizations around the greater San Diego community. Grace was one of three co-founders of Social Kitchen, a 2016 USD Social Innovation Challenge winner. Grace has also worked in areas such as student activities, student governance, test prep, design thinking, strategic planning, and organizational consulting.

Grace earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies and her Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Higher Education from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Most recently Grace completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego. Grace’s dissertation is titled Career decision-making of higher education professionals of Philippine descent: The untold stories of an Asian Pacific Islander community. 

Grace has served on regional and national boards and committees through NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Grace has co-authored two chapters in the NASPA monograph Beginning Your Journey on social media and professional networking. Grace serves as a NUFP (NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program) mentor and currently chairs the NUFP program at UC San Diego.

Lastly, to inspire and get the creative sparks flying, Grace has been working on her art.  Grace creates inspired art through several art mediums, gem stones and succulents. Each art piece is hand-made and one-of-a kind because inspiration – like lightning – never strikes the same way twice!