• I spent time with my family

• My research team facilitated a 10-week undergraduate research fellowship for a cohort of incoming transfer students that concluded with an in-person research symposium.

• CCEAL hosted the 2025 Black Community College CEO Retreat at SDSU

AAHHE Chair:

• I started my term as the Chair of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education. Our national conference will be held at SDSU in March 2026.

  • Please encourage your students to submit proposals!

What I'm looking forward to this fall:

• Supporting our faculty and students!

• I spent time with dear friends and family in Ocean Shores and Seattle, WA and finally crossed the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum off my bucket list

• Celebrated a milestone wedding anniversary

• I built a new course for the Leadership Studies Major and worked with faculty and advisors to make improvements to our program

• Watched with pride as PELSA student was honored with a Mana de San Diego scholarship

What I'm looking forward to this fall:

• Meeting and working with our new Leadership Studies students

• Continuing the work of our tremendous COE UG team - advisors and faculty

• LEAD Studies Graduates being fully and meaningfully employed and our Spring graduates already involved in the job search.

Lisa Gates, director of the Leadership Studies program, received the Malcolm A. Love Award from Associated Students (A.S.). Named for the fourth president of SDSU, the honor is given to one faculty member each year for support of A.S. and its students.

• I celebrated earning tenure in Italy

• Spent time with my family in New York

• Celebrated the 3th anniversary of the ADA. Our COE video has over 6,621 views!!

• Delivered the Keynote for the Inaugural Regional Youth Leadership Forum

What I am looking forward to this fall:

• Serving as the faculty advisor for the new student club Disabled Student Society and the Rehabilitation Counseling Student Association.

  
  

• Got Covid for the first time and lost some of my sense of smell :(

• Was surprised with a tenured celebration with my family at the bay and another celebration by my advisees

• Took a couple of trips with my daughter and wife

• Worked on two projects with my research team

What I'm looking forward to this fall:

• Getting to know the new incoming doctoral cohort

• Publishing our new historical counterstories in education podcast together with my students

• Continuing with data collection for our research projects

Spent time adventuring with friends at the zoo, Knott's Berry Farm, and the beach!

Visited family and went to my cousin's wedding!

Saw some awesome concerts at the Rady Shell!

What I'm looking forward to this fall:

Being back in classes for the JDP!

-Went to Disneyland with the fam and enjoyed copious amounts of churros

-Explored Europe for my wife's 40th Birthday

-Read alot, wrote a little

-Tried to figure out how to continue my level of research and mentorship with less resources and support.

What I'm looking forward to:

-The Raiders winning the super bowl this year

• Caught up with my daughter in Tuscany

• Got caught in the heat dome in DC

• Worked on a couple videos for the RISE-UP project

• Submitted two grant proposals

• Completed final edits on two manuscripts

What I’m looking forward to this Fall:

• Meeting our new students and reconnecting with returning students

• Trainings with our state VR agencies for the RISE-UP project

PROJECT TITLE: Advancing STEM Experiential Learning at Two- and Four-year Hispanic Serving Institutions

• Transitioned back to SDSU after an assignment with the National Science Foundation as Program Director

• Attended the HACU International Summit & HACU Leadership Academy Graduation in Costa Rica

• Visited family in my beautiful hometown, Taos, New Mexico & celebrated 10 years of marriage with Anthony Villarreal

SDSU Division for Innovation & Research (DRI) Fellow:

• I started my term as DRI Faculty Support Programs Fellow, leading SDSU's intermural funding, awards, and faculty support programs

What I'm looking forward to this fall:

• Co-editing a Special Issue in Education Sciences: Creating Cultures and Structures of Opportunity in STEMM Ecosystems

• Working with my research center team on our newly funded research initiatives supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

• Meeting the new student cohorts and working with our doctoral colleagues in the research support courses

✨ Spent time with family and friends while exploring the city
🚴‍♀️ Started cycling & pilates classes, got back into running, and added hiking to the mix
⚾️ Went to ballpark games, the beach, and discovered new coffee shops + matcha spots across San Diego
🌺 Traveled to Oahu, HI and explored the island

I relocated to San Diego this summer and went to Yosemite for a road trip with my parents.

What I am looking forward to this fall:

Excited about my new journey and working with other colleagues and students!

--Co-teaching ARP 609: Policy Developments in Cognitive Disabilities with Zia Yurchuck, May 2014 RCP and Cognitive Disabilities Certificate graduate

--Started a statewide assessment study on traumatic brain injury needs in contract with the California Department of Rehabilitation.

What I'm looking forward to this summer:

--Hoping to get back to playing tennis after more than a year away from the sport.

--Looking forward to traveling to one or more national parks.

--Presenting at the American Psychological Association Convention in Washington DC in August..

• Published Resisting Erasure, a podcast project in which EdD students in ARP 801 research, script, record, and edit a historical podcast episode

• Continued with data collection for a study on racial harm for student affairs professionals of color

What I'm looking forward to:

• Presenting at the National Association of Chicana/o Studies this April

• Celebrating the graduation of 3 EdD advisees with critical dissertation studies

• Getting some down time after the Spring semester