As the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) commences its virtual conference this week, a familiar face will not be among the thousands of attendees.
Dr. Loui Olivas, the long-time executive director of the organization, stepped down over the summer. Dr. Lucia Gutiérrez has since been appointed to the position. It is unclear why Olivas, who has been a fixture at AAHHE for years, resigned from his post. When contacted, he declined to comment.
Natalia M. Toscano, chair of the graduate studies program at AAHHE and a Ph.D. student at the University of New Mexico, was “surprised” to learn that Olivas had stepped down.
“[He] has had a long history of commitment to supporting AAHHE and generations of Latinx scholars,” she said. “His hard work has culminated into an organization that is filled with dedicated members eager to continue the legacy set forward by Dr. Olivas.”
Norma V. Cantú, who previously served on AAHEE’s board of directors and is a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, echoed Toscano’s praise of Olivas’ impact.
“Dr. Olivas did a phenomenal job in the early 2000s, creating academic space for young Latinx graduate students to find mentors and sponsors to pursue their research and their academic careers,” she said. “The notable results of Dr. Olivas’ focus on young academics was that AAHHE helped students complete their doctoral work.”
Now, under new leadership, the organization plans to create and expand on current leadership programs to include graduate students, mid-career administrators and early career faculty. Additionally, after recently partnering with management firm AMC Source, AAHHE aims to increase relationship building among its members and sponsors.
