Dr. Christine Navia serves as acting vice president for belonging and student affairs. Her work focuses on efforts to create a welcoming and supportive campus environment that supports every Marquette student. Dr. Navia is responsible for student services such as counseling, residence life, student conduct, and campus activities as well community engagement. Additionally, Dr. Navia champions the division’s diversity and inclusion efforts, supporting programs and initiatives that address the needs of Marquette’s diverse student populations. She also works closely with university leadership to align the division of belonging and student affairs with Marquette’s overall mission.

As the child of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to attend college, Navia is passionate about creating living and learning environments that enable all students to thrive in college, especially those who are first generation and students of color. She is actively engaged as a consultant and partner to several equity-driven national higher education organizations, including the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Excelencia in Education and the National Association of System Heads.

Prior to Marquette, Navia held key leadership positions within University of Wisconsin System administration, including as the associate vice president for student success and the interim special assistant to the president for equity, diversity and inclusion. In these roles, she oversaw the launch of a systemwide student behavioral health initiative, the redesign of the UW System’s application portal and the establishment of a regents' scholarship that provides financial support to UW students from underrepresented communities.

A Chicago native, Navia earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Carleton College and her master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.