2024 Latino Excellence & Achievement Dinner Program

April 4, 2024

RECEPTION

Las Tias Music

EVENING PROGRAM

Performance by Ballet Folklórico de UCI

Dyonne M. Bergeron Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Hal S. Stern

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

KEYNOTE

Regent Alfonso Salazar UC Alumni Regent Designate

AWARDS PRESENTER

Susie López-Guerra, Ed.D. California State Director, National Center on Education & the Economy

SCHOOL AWARD PRESENTATIONS

Claire Trevor School of the Arts

School of Biological Sciences

Paul Merage School of Business

School of Education

Henry Samueli School of Engineering

School of Humanities

Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences

School of Law

School of Physical Sciences

School of Social Ecology

School of Social Sciences

Performance by

Ballet Folklórico de UCI

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES AWARD PRESENTATIONS

School of Medicine

School of Nursing

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Program in Public Health

COMMUNITY AWARDS PRESENTATIONS

Outstanding Community Builder Award

Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award

Outstanding Emerging Faculty Mentorship Award

Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award

Distinguished Staff Leadership Award

CLOSING REMARKS

Dyonne M. Bergeron

Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Dyonne M. Bergeron is the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She brings to UCI more than two decades of public higher education leadership in DEI, academic affairs and student affairs. Dr. Bergeron most recently served as the acting vice provost and associate vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at the Boulder flagship campus of the University of Colorado. Before that, she was assistant vice chancellor for inclusion and student achievement and assistant vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Colorado Boulder; assistant dean and director of multicultural development at Florida Gulf Coast University; and in senior administrative positions at the University of South Florida, the University of Georgia and other public higher education institutions.

Hal Stern

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Statistics

Hal Stern is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Statistics at the University of California, Irvine. Provost Stern previously served as founding chair of the Department of Statistics, Dean of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, and Vice Provost for Academic Planning. Prior to joining UCI, he held faculty positions at Iowa State University and Harvard University.

Within the field of statistics, Provost Stern is known for his research on Bayesian statistical methods and for collaborative projects in the life sciences and social sciences. He is co-director of the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and is part of the leadership team for the Conte Center at UCI, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to study the impacts of early-life experiences. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, and the Institute for Mathematical Statistics.

Regent Alfonso Salazar

UC Alumni Regent Designate

Alfonso R. Salazar is the Senior Director for KPMG LLP in the State & Local Government Practice and manages KPMG’s public sector clients in the Los Angeles region. Mr. Salazar is a government and technology expert with over 25 years of experience in the public sector as a professional services provider and former public sector executive.

Appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, Mr. Salazar served as director of the Los Angeles Business Team, Office of the Mayor, and served in various positions in economic development for the City of Los Angeles, including: senior business representative; acting director of the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration’s Infrastructure Grant Program; and coordinator for the Minority Business Opportunity Committee.

As a double major at UC Berkeley, Mr. Salazar received bachelor’s degrees in political science and ethnic studies. While pursuing his undergraduate studies, Mr. Salazar was committed to student success, diversity, equal rights and a quality education. Mr. Salazar is recognized as a Woodrow Wilson National Fellow and holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.

Along with his wife, Angela Acosta-Salazar ’92, Ed.D ‘14, they are education justice advocates supporting students to find pathways into high education. Mr. Salazar lives in Whittier, CA, and has been involved in many community-based organizations including Latino Issues Forum, College Summit Southern CA, and Little League.

Susie López-Guerra, Ed.D.

California State Director, National Center on Education and the Economy

Dr. Susie López-Guerra is an educator with more than 25 years of experience in public school education. Currently, Susie serves as the California State Director at NCEE where she leads the development of partnerships at the district, county, and state level to bring research and best practices to practitioners across the state.

Susie’s extensive public school experience includes director of community relations and governmental affairs, developer and director of the department and practice of family and community engagement, Pre-K -12 curriculum writer, professional developer, certificated and assessment specialist, and elementary bilingual education master teacher.

As an educational researcher, Susie has collaborated with partners throughout the U.S. and Mexico to provide support and professional learning to schools and school leaders.

Susie has had the opportunity to partner with and work across a variety of organizations with a commitment on student outcomes through a reflective and research based systems alignment lens and best practices grounded in pedagogical and content knowledge.

School Awards Recipients

CLAIRE TREVOR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

Johanna Romo

Graduate Student Excellence

SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Kathleen Leon

Excellence in Research

PAUL MERAGE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Zachary Velazquez

Leadership

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Alysia Maryse Cruz

Graduate Student Excellence

HENRY SAMUELI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Cody Gonzalez

Graduate Student Excellence

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2024 LATINO EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT

JOHANNA ROMO

M.F.A. Stage Management Class of 2025 Department of Drama

www.arts.uci.edu

The Merage School Latinx Initiative congratulates our LEAD award winner Zachary Velasquez and all recipients.

School Awards Recipients

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES

Jeanie Toscano

Graduate Student Excellence

DONALD BREN SCHOOL OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCES

Barbara Martinez Neda

Excellence in Research

SCHOOL OF LAW

Brenda Rosas Leadership

SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Victoria Knapp Perez

Graduate Student Excellence

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL ECOLOGY

Veronica Gonzalez

Graduate Student Excellence

School Awards Recipients

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Julybeth Murillo

Graduate Student Excellence

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Alexa Tierno

Excellence in Research and Health for the Latino Community

SUE & BILL GROSS SCHOOL OF NURSING

Josue De La Cruz-Sevilla

Graduate Student Excellence

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

Esau Ladislao Medina

Graduate Student Excellence

PROGRAM IN PUBLIC HEALTH

Celina Morales

Graduate Student Excellence

Community Awards Recipients

OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY BUILDER

Eva A. Sandoval

Health Equity Coordinator, GREEN-MPNA

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI LEADERSHIP

John J. Tracy, Ph.D. ‘87

Retired, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Engineering, Operations & Technology for Boeing

OUTSTANDING EMERGING FACULTY MENTORSHIP

Adriana Villavicencio, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Organization and Management Paul Merage School of Business

OUTSTANDING FACULTY MENTORSHIP

Michelle Digman

Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering

DISTINGUISHED STAFF LEADERSHIP

Paulina Raygoza

Director, Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR) Center

LEAD honorees and award recipients. We are honored to recognize and celebrate your success!

Las Tías

Timeless boleros and Rancheras speak to modern sway in the music of Las Tías . The duo formed by Giselle Woo and Janine Rivera is steeped in Mexican American heritage and deeply rooted in the Coachella Valley. Their musical vision is generous, confident, and closely harmonized. A true conversation emerges through every chord and verse, connecting past to present and living proof of a resilient, free spirit and enduring love.

Ballet Folklórico

Ballet Folklórico de UC Irvine is a student-run organization that welcomes students, alumni, and community members to participate and learn about a variety of different Mexican histories and traditions through dance and music. BFDUCI’s goal is to create a safe space for individuals of all racial and geographic backgrounds to feel comfortable with freely expressing who they are, whether it be through dance & music or other creative means.

@ Ballet Folklorico de UCI @bfduci ballet.folklorico.deuci@gmail.com

https://discord.gg/huY93AKz

2024 LEAD Planning Committee

Adelí Durón, LEAD Co-Chair Latinx Resource Center

Alex Camacho School of Law

Ash Hormaza School of Physical Sciences

Belinda Campos Department of Chicano/ Latino Studies

Burt Alvaro Slusher

Paul Merage School of Business

Claudia Campos School of Education

Elsa Bugarini Alumni Association

Jasmine Ambriz Student Life & Leadership

Jorge Padilla

Department of Urban Planning & Public Policy

Jose Sanchez Student Housing

Maria Cervantes UCI-OC Alliance

Nikolaus Alvarez

Samueli Institute for Integrative Medicine

Paulina Raygoza Student Outreach and Retention Center

Raslyn Rendon, LEAD Co-Chair Graduate Division

Santana Ruiz Center for Educational Partnerships

Tootie Yee

Office of Inclusive Excellence

Valerie Amador Graduate Division

Victoria Rocha Latinx Resource Center

Michelle Foley

Office of the Vice Provost of Teaching & Learning

Alejandra Jeronimo DREAM Center

Latino Excellence and Achievement Awards Dinner

Table Sponsors

Alumni Association

Center for Educational Partnerships

College of Health Sciences

Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Enrollment Management

Graduate Division

Henry Samueli School of Engineering

ICS Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion

Office of Inclusive Excellence

Office of the Vice Chancellor Student Affairs

Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning

Paul Merage School of Business

Samueli School of Engineering

School of Biological Sciences

School of Biological Sciences Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

School of Humanities

School of Physical Sciences

School of Social Ecology

School of Social Sciences

Strategic Communication & Public Affairs

Student Housing

Student Life & Leadership

UCI Chief Executive Roundtable

UCI School of Law

UCI School of Medicine

UCI-OC Alliance | University Advancement & Alumni Relations

Special Thanks

Sean Collins Graduate Division

Derrick Fazendin Graduate Division

Rene Gauthier-Butterfield

Strategic Communications & Public Affairs

Josh Block Office of Inclusive Excellence

Jess Leggett Student Affairs Creative & Marketing Communications

John Campos Student Affairs Creative & Marketing Communications

On behalf of the entire Division of Student Affairs

Congratulations

to all who are being recognized and celebrated at the

7th Annual Latino Excellence & Achievement Awards Dinner

THE DIVISION OF