Christian Bello Escobar, Ed.D., C.S.A.Ed.
Overview
Dr. Christian Bello Escobar (Dr. CBE) [two-word unhyphenated last name] was born in Acapulco, Mexico, and has lived most of his life in the Atlanta metro area. He arrived at UNG in early 2014 and served in various roles in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs until late 2015, when he became the director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).
In 2016, he took leadership of the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and became the inaugural UNG director of Migrant [Federal Student Success] Programs and Services. Both programs are funded through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Migrant Education, and administered through UNG’s University College. He rewrote the CAMP grant in 2020 and the HEP grant in 2021. As a result, he received both HEP and CAMP grant renewals totaling $4.5 million to continue to serve the migrant, seasonal, and temporary farmworkers of the north Georgia region.
Before arriving at UNG, he worked in Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia State University (2009-2011), at the University of West Georgia (2011-2013), and at Indiana University – Bloomington (2013-2014), both in Housing and Residence Life.
He currently serves in two capacities within the University System of Georgia. He is the Director of Academic & Community Engagement for the College of Education (COE) and the Principal Investigator for the IME Becas grant at UNG. The IME Becas is a grant program implemented by the government of Mexico to support low-income Latinx students living in the United States who are completing basic education, higher education, or technological careers. In the COE role, he establishes and supports initiatives to increase COE student success through Student Case Management and first-year student services while building and maintaining partnerships to increase the COE’s enrollment, outreach, fund development, and student engagement. He also serves as an adjunct faculty of Teacher Education and Psychology for Georgia Highlands College.
Courses Taught
- Latinos in the U.S., PERS 2001 – Georgia State University, Spring 2011
- Intro to Leadership & Student Success Seminar, UWG 1101 – University of West Georgia, Fall 2012
- Leadership Development, HESA U207 – Indiana University, Fall 2013
- African American Male Initiative College Success Class, UNIV 1101 – University of North Georgia, Summer 2014
- Spanish for Healthcare Professionals, Professional and Continuing Education – University of North Georgia, Summer 2015 - Spring 2016
- Communicative Spanish I, Professional and Continuing Education – University of North Georgia, Fall 2015
- J.W. Fannin Institute for Leadership Development: Community Leadership Courses, 2015 – present.
- Intro to Leadership & Student Success Seminar, UNIV 1000 – University of North Georgia, Fall 2016 – Fall 2020
- Exploring Sociocultural Perspectives, EDUC 2120 – Georgia Highlands College, Fall 2021 – present.
- Intro to Issues in Diversity, EDUC 7789 – University of North Georgia, Fall 2022.
- Intro to Psychology, PSYC 1101 – Georgia Highlands College, Spring 2023 – present.
Education
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Leadership: cognates in Organizational & Higher Education Leadership, Valdosta State University, 2021.
- Certified Student Affairs Educator (C.S.A.Ed.), Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification, 2023. Certificate #: CSAEd-204 Expiration Date: 10/2028
- Graduate Certificate, Curriculum and Instruction: Online Teaching, Valdosta State University, 2023
- Graduate Certificate, Diversity, University of North Georgia, 2016.
- Master of Education (M.Ed.), Professional Counseling: cognate in College Student Affairs, University of West Georgia, 2013
- Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Psychology, Georgia State University, 2011.
Research/Special Interests
- Ethnic identity development of Greek-letter organization members
- Human resources, higher education leadership, organizational structures, and management.
- Assessment, research, grant writing, and management
- Academic & student engagement; student recruitment, retention & success initiatives.
- Leadership development, educator development, and student development theory & practice.
License & Certification
- Certified Student Affairs Educator (C.S.A.Ed.), Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification, 2023. Certificate #: CSAEd-204 Expiration Date: October, 2028
Publications
Suriel, R., Martinez, J., Bello Escobar, C. A., & Workman, J. (2024). From lived experiences to social activism: Latino fraternity brothers critical service to the Latinx community. Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, 40(1). ISSN: 2330-7269.c
Bello Escobar, C. A., Workman, J., Martinez, J., & Suriel, R. S. (2023). The Persistence and Ethnic Identity of Latino Fraternity Members at Predominantly White Institutions in Georgia, Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice: 17(3). https://doi.org/10.25774/80xq-n917
Personal Information
When he’s not teaching or working in higher education administration, Dr. CBE enjoys reading, traveling, watching TV and movies, cooking, and running. He also values spending quality time with his wife, Diana, their sons—Gio and Alesso—and their four beloved pets: Maxie, Bella, Reiki, and Livvy. Dr. CBE is actively involved in several professional organizations, including Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc., NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and ACPA – College Student Educators International.