Our history
Directors
- Darrell Lockhart, Ph.D., 2004 - 2008
- Emma Sepúlveda, Ph.D., 2009 - 2017
- Steering committee, 2017-2019
- Mario Alpuche, Ph.D.
- Lorraine Benuto, Ph.D.
- Robert Gutierrez-Perez, Ph.D.
- Jafeth Sanchez, Ph.D.
- Julie E. Lucero, MPH, Ph.D., 2019-2021
- Jafeth Sanchez Ph.D., 2022 – Present
The Latino Research Center (LRC) opened its doors fall semester of 2004 with initial startup funds from the United States (U.S.) Department of Education, supported by former U.S. Senator Harry Reid and Nevada Assemblywomen Sheila Leslie. The LRC served as an entity of the Foreign Languages Department, now the Department of World Languages & Literatures (WLL), before its 2017 reposition directly under the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. The LRC was first introduced to the University of Nevada, Reno as the Latino Institute for Advocacy in Education, Research and Policy; while the name changed, the mission has remained the same.
In 2002, Latinos in Nevada represented 18.6 percent of the state’s population with a projected one percent annual increase, becoming the fastest growing minority, a motivation for the LRC development. Despite the anticipated growth, the Latinx community within the state had limited access to decision-making processes. The lack of research and ability to disseminate pertinent information too often hindered the Latinx community’s ability to create a unified vision and collaboratively work on implementations.
The Director’s Message
I am honored to serve as the Director of the Latino Research Center and am excited about the chance to build upon the work of my predecessors while establishing a strong direction for those who will follow. My vision is for our Center to serve as a pillar of Latinx research so that our findings, discoveries, and innovations can lead to desired social and cultural impacts across our communities and beyond. We have a great team in place and a strong community, so I am fueled by the many opportunities at hand to support the four elements of our mission (i.e., research, faculty collaborations, student achievement, & advocacy and outreach) while serving as a nexus between the Latinx community and our University. I look forward to working with you, and I thank you for being a part of this transformative journey. ¡Adelante!
- Jafeth Sanchez, Latino Research Center Director
The Associate Director’s Message
I am privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of the Latino Research Center’s (LRC’s) mission to foster research, student achievement, faculty collaboration, advocacy, and outreach in my capacity of Associate Director.
The LRC, under current and past leadership, aims to meet the educational needs of the State while honoring the intellectual and cultural capital of the Latino presence: To move the needle on some of the challenges that the community experiences, while highlighting important contributions. I share these aims and I very much look forward to working with my new colleagues in the LRC, our two advisory boards, and our current and future research partners at UNR and across the country to meet these goals.
- Tania Leal, Latino Research Center Associate Director
