Scholar of community college access and past HERI director continues to serve as chair, effective July 1.
UCLA Professor of Education Cecilia Rios-Aguilar has been reappointed chair of the UCLA Department of Education at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, effective July 1. She has been serving as chair since 2022.
Rios-Aguilar has formerly served as the school’s associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion and is a past director of the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. Her research is multidisciplinary, using asset-based conceptual frameworks to study the educational and occupational trajectories of underserved and racially minoritized students.
Professor Rios-Aguilar is currently engaged in research on California’s community colleges and the students they serve and has co-authored briefs as a research affiliate for the UC Davis Center for Community College Leadership and Research, including “Benefits and Opportunities: California’s Community College Baccalaureate Programs,” and “Pioneering the Community College Baccalaureate in California.”
At UCLA, Rios-Aguilar produced a study published by the the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute titled, “Latinos in California’s Community College Bachelor’s Degree Programs: What We Know So Far,” with co-author and UCLA doctoral candidate Davis Vo. Their research examines the enrollment, academic success, labor market experiences, and loan rate of Latino students in the CCB Program.
Professor Rios-Aguilar serves as a faculty co-director for Policy Analysis of California Education (PACE), and a board member of the Spencer Foundation. Previously, Rios-Aguilar served as director of the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA.
Rios-Aguilar achieved her Ph.D. in educational theory and policy and her master’s of science in school administration at the University of Rochester; and her bachelor’s degree in economics at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.
“I am deeply grateful for Dr. Rios-Aguilar’s leadership as Chair of the Department of Education,” says Wasserman Dean Christina Christie. “Through her vision, steadfast commitment, and dedication to the department, she has thoughtfully fostered transformation, innovation, and strengthened our community of scholars and students, advancing the department’s impact both locally and globally. I look forward to the continued momentum she will bring in this next chapter of her leadership.”