Natalie Muñoz

Natalie Muñoz is an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department at Rutgers University Newark's College of Arts and Sciences. A double alumna of Stony Brook University with a BA in Psychology and MSW in Student Community Development, she earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University, where she focused on equity and AfroLatino identity.

• Education: Ph.D. (Howard University), MSW (Stony Brook), BA (Stony Brook)

Her research explores AfroLatine identity development, migrant trauma, mental health equity, and educational justice. She created @AZUCAR_TV, a decolonial media project amplifying Afro-Latinx, Latinx, and Black Atlantic narratives through art, activism, and ancestral wisdom. This initiative emphasizes community-based knowledge and intergenerational memory in social work scholarship.

Her publications examine solidarity between marginalized communities, pandemic impacts on HBCU students, and structural barriers in higher education. She teaches courses on social welfare policy and diasporic wellness.

• Awards: Outstanding Administrator (St. John's University, 2015), Multicultural Creative Program (2015), Campus Residences Service (Stony Brook, 2011)

A sought-after speaker, she delivers hundreds of workshops on AfroLatinx identity, diversity, and wellness across educational, corporate, and healthcare settings.