Aisha Torrey-Sawyer, interim senior advisor to the chancellor and chief inclusion officer, has announced Florencio Aranda, Ph.D. as the new coordinator of diversity and inclusion initiatives in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
“I am so pleased that Dr. Aranda has accepted this position at TCU,” Torrey-Sawyer said. “He brings his passion to be an agent of change for diverse communities, and he has made it his mission to serve others and to lead by example in the educational, political and cultural arenas he navigates.”
Aranda earned his doctorate degree in higher education research from Texas Tech University. Additionally, he earned a master’s degree in legal studies from Arizona State University, a master’s in interdisciplinary studies (Spanish, higher education and curriculum and instruction) and a master’s degree in romance languages in Spanish and Portuguese from Texas Tech. He currently serves as the chair of the Mentorship Program for the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education.
Aranda will help support and promote an institutional vision for diversity and inclusion and imbed TCU’s DEI strategy into the culture of the organization. He also will work toward creating an environment that promotes inclusive excellence, create opportunities for learning and development for faculty and staff and communicate about the programs and progress of DEI initiatives.
“I am thrilled to join such a dynamic, committed and focused team that makes diversity, equity and inclusion a top priority,” Aranda said.
Prior to arriving at Texas Christian University, Aranda worked as a student affairs professional and diversity advocate as the multicultural Latino/a/x retention advisor in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at South Dakota State University, where he focused on the retention and degree completion of Latinx students.
“As an advocate for historically marginalized and underrepresented populations, I look forward to working with TCU students, faculty, staff and administrators to ensure equity and equality for all,” Aranda said.