Joy Vergara

Joy Vergara  (she/her) is currently the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Engagement at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Vergara is responsible for 6 units with large scale programs and multiple target audiences.  With 20 years of experience in Higher Edication, Vergara leads a passionate team of 24 staff members to meet the needs of our diverse student population.

Vergara is also part of the UIC Open Expression core team, Student Response Team, Student Affairs Advancing Racial Equity co-chair, and formerly the Public Safety Advisory Board Co-Chair.  In high profile events, Vergara has played a role in critical situations as incident command lead, de-escalation team, or demonstration support.

UIC is known for being the largest university in the Chicago area, having 33,522 students enrolled in its 16 colleges. In the 2024 U.S. News & World Report ranking of colleges and universities, UIC ranked tied for 40th among public national universities. UIC is the only Illinois university ranked among the 10 best value colleges in the nation by Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

UIC is one of the most diverse campuses in the nation and a national leader among urban, public higher education institutions in providing access to underrepresented students. UIC is focused on eliminating disparities in health, education and economic opportunity.

In her community, Vergara also serves on the Filipino Friendship Society and Piyesta Pinoy boards. Vergara received her Bachelor degree in communications from Northern Illinois University and received her Masters of Education degree from Loyola University Chicago. She lives currently in Bolingbrook, IL with her husband and 3 children.