DJ Pepito Chavez serves as the senior director of research and innovation at the Society for College & University Planning (SCUP). In this role, she is charged with shaping new research initiatives and strategic partnerships to help the community build capacity for transformation and leadership in higher education.

DJ has over a decade of experience in higher education, primarily within student services and auxiliary areas from the University of California, Berkeley and NACAS (the National Association of College Auxiliary Services). Prior to joining the SCUP team, she served as the chief learning officer at NACAS, where she was originally hired to launch their research and benchmarking programs for a membership audience representing over 600 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. During her undergraduate career at the University of California, Berkeley, DJ served as the student body president for the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). She then transitioned to a staff role with the ASUC Student Union, managing construction projects and optimizing operations across all commercial vendor tenants as a part of a $223M redevelopment project for the student union.

In her spare time, DJ enjoys rollerblading in the San Diego sunshine and spending time with her partner and their two dogs, Luna and Lonzo.