AAHHE Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award

Sponsored by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education

The AAHHE Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award recognizes distinguished leadership and long-standing sustained contributions to higher education that transcend the nominees’ respective institutions and have had a notable impact and recognition in the field at the state and/or national levels. Sponsored by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

2026 Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award Recipient

Frances Contreras, PhD
Professor
University of California, Irvine

Dr. Frances Contreras is a Professor in the School of Education at UCI, where she also served as the first Chicana/Latina Dean to lead a School of Education in the UC System. Previously, Dr. Contreras served as a Professor and Associate Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at UC San Diego. Dr. Contreras has over 17 years of administrative leadership.

Her research focuses on issues of equity and access for underrepresented students and the role of public policy in ensuring student equity across the P-20 continuum. Her work has been published in leading education journals and presses, including four book manuscripts in leading academic presses. 

Dr. Contreras served as the Co-Chair of the Chicano/Latino Advisory Council to the UC President which seeks to increase the level of Chicano/Latino representation in leadership across the UC System. She was previously honored as an “Emerging Scholar” and the “Top 25 to Watch” among academicians by Diverse Magazine. Additionally, Contreras was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award by the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs. In Spring 2021, she was the recipient of the Cesar Chavez Faculty award, and on December 17, 2021, the City of San Diego honored her with “Dr. Frances Contreras Day,” in recognition of her leadership and service to the City and County of San Diego.

Dr. Contreras earned her Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, Master’s degree from Harvard University and Ph.D. in Administration and Education Policy from Stanford University.

List of past recipients of the Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award: