Marla Franco, PhD

Dr. Marla Franco serves as the inaugural Vice President of HSI Initiatives at the University of Arizona and provides university-wide vision, strategy, and leadership to bring the designation to life in ways that matter most. In 2018, Dr. Franco led efforts that resulted in the UA becoming the first four-year public university in the state of Arizona to be federally recognized as an HSI. In total, she has worked in higher education for nearly 25 years at public universities in California and Arizona, having served in various roles within academic and student affairs to champion greater college access and degree attainment among underserved and minoritized students, which strongly informs her work today. She is a published author on topics related to HSIs and a nationally requested speaker at HSIs across the nation. In 2021, she founded the AZ HSI Consortium, which helps create a community of practice across the 21 HSIs across the state of Arizona, which was awarded $4 million dollars in 2023 from the Helios Education Foundation and the National Science Foundation to expand this work.  Dr. Franco is a first-generation college graduate, an avid supporter of the UA Hispanic Alumni Club, and a proud mom to two teenagers, Diego and Ciena.  Dr. Franco leads strategically, courageously, and with a fierce passion for what she does.