REFUGIO I. ROCHIN, PhD. and Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis and Santa Cruz.

Co-Chair of the California Curriculum Council

rrochin@cafoundationfund.org

Dr. Refugio I. Rochin is a long-time leader in promoting innovation and change in higher education settings and a published author and internationally recognized expert in his field of economics and international development. He completed his PhD. at Michigan State University with additional graduate and undergraduate degrees in Communication and Economics from the University of Arizona and UC Berkeley. He is a an accomplished program developer and principal investigator.

He is prepared to work closely with policymakers and program managers who are responsible for effectively and efficiently using community resources to promote social goals. He is also responsible for the linkages of data-based evidence and decision-making and is prepared to meet client needs for evaluation research and analysis to provide quality information in support of the decisions they make. Dr. Rochin assists in the development of evaluation research — implementation research — and the development of data bases that can assist those designing and operating the California Foundation Fund’s social programs.

Areas of Expertise and Experience:

• Executive Director of SACNAS, the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science; 
• Founding Director of The Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives;
• First University Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University;
• Professor at the University of California, Davis and Santa Cruz, Michigan State University and the University of Notre Dame ;
• Principal Investigator and research assessor for the U.S Department of State (AID), Department of Agriculture, NSF and National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Rochin has also worked abroad on projects for rural reform and economic development and was part of the Nobel Laureate Team of Dr. Norman Borlaug, recognized for the so-called “Green Revolution” in Asia.

Education

Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters,
Northeastern University

Doctor of Philosophy;
Michigan State University

Master of Arts;
Michigan State University

Master of Science;
University of Arizona

Bachelor of Arts;
University of California, Berkeley

Administrative and Academic Experience

2009 – Present:
Associate Partner, Knowledge Brokers, Inc.

2009–2009
Provost/CAO and Academic Liaison Officer to WASC.

2007 – 2008
Chair, Chicana/o Studies Department, University of California, Davis and Sr. Research-Evaluator for LabAspire.Org

2005 – 2007
Director, Research and Evaluation, Educational Partnership Center & Visiting Professor of Latin America & Latino Studies

2003 – 2005
Executive Director, Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science

2002 – 2003
Senior Fellow – Professor, Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), The University of Notre Dame and Associate Director, Inter University Consortium for Latino Research.

1998 – 2002
Founding Director, Smithsonian Latino Center and National Board for Latino Initiatives,

1994 – 1998
First Permanent Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute Principal Investigator, USDA Experiment Station. Full Professor of Sociology and Agricultural Economics.

1971 – 1994
Full Professor of Agricultural Economics and Chicano Studies;
Principal Investigator & Economist, Giannini Foundation (U.C. Berkeley);
Program Director & Chair, Chicana/o Studies;
Assoc. Dean for Outreach. College of Agriculture & Natural Resources;
Council Member, U.C. Academic Senate.

1973 – 1975
Ford Foundation Program Officer for Rural Development Lecturer, University of Colombia, Tibaitata campus.

1969 – 1971
Ford Foundation Program Associate for Agricultural Development;
Member of Nobel Laureate Green Revolution Team of Dr. Norman Borlaug. Lecturer, Pakistan Civil Service Academy,

1967 – 1969
Graduate Research Assistant, Michigan State University.

1966 – 1967
Graduate Research Assistant & Peace Corps Trainer

Summers 1965/66
Ford Foundation Foreign Affairs Scholar, U.S. Department of State and Howard University

1962 – 1964
Peace Corps Volunteer & Leader

Appointments

• Member of Accreditation Teams, North Central Association of Colleges and Universities and Liaison to Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
• Member of American Society of Hispanic Economists (co-­founder); American Evaluation Association; Giannini Foundation (U.C. Berkeley) and other science societies.
• Film Consultant, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2004, “Combat on Many Fronts: Latino Veterans and PTSD.” Close captioned in Spanish and English.
• Executive Director, Midwest Consortium for Latino Research, Michigan State University.
• Chair & Co- founder, Endowment Awards for Minority Students, Rural Sociological Society.
• Partner, StratGlobal Technology Consultants, LLC. Washington DC.
• Visiting Scholar, University of New Mexico, RWJF Center for Health Policy
• Harbor Village Housing Association, Board member, Santa Cruz CA.

Federal – State Boards & Commissions

• U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Advisory Committee for Education, Golden, CO., 2003- 2005
• U.S. Federal Communications Commission, National Advisory Committee on Consumers/Disabilities Telecommunications, Washington, DC,
• USDA National Board for Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics, Representing National Social Science Associations, USDA, 1997- 2000.
• California Board for Food and Agriculture, appointed by Governor Brown, Jr.

Non Profit Organizations (most recent)

• Co-Chair, California Foundation Curriculum Council – Current.
• Board Member, Institute for Teaching, California Teachers Association – Current.
• Senior Advisor, Mission District Asset Fund, San Francisco, CA. – Current
• Founding Board Member, American Society of Hispanic Economists – Current.
• Advisor, Center for Mathematics Education of Latinos/as, CEMELA – Current
• Member, Council of Economic Advisors, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – Current.
• Board Member, MentorNet.net, San Jose CA. 2005 – 2008.
• Member Executive Board, The Pew Hispanic Center, Washington DC. 2000- 2003.
• Member, Economic Council, Hispanic Business Inc., 1998 – 2000

Awards & Honors

• Visiting Scholar: University of New Mexico, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Center for Health Policy. Summer 2010.
• Hall of Fame for Public Service: first award at Carlsbad High School, California, 2009.
• Lifetime Achievement Award, American Society of Hispanic Economists. 2008.
• Speaker, Federal Hispanic Career Advancement Summit, Washington, D.C. October 2008.
• Distinguished Lectureship Committee, Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society 2005 – 2008.
• President’s Medallion, Commencement California State University, San Bernardino, 2001.
• Hall of Fame Award, George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame Lecture, Tuskegee University, 2001.
• Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Northeastern University, 2000.
• Listed in USA Top 100 Hispanic Leaders, Hispanic Business Inc. 1999.
• Senior Scholar, The Tomás Rivera Center for Hispanic Policy Studies at The Claremont Colleges in Southern California.
• Member of the Nobel Laureate team of Dr. Norman Borlaug, known for “The Green Revolution in Asia.”