Diana NatalicioPresident, The University of Texas at El Paso
Diana Natalicio was named president of UTEP in 1988. During her long and distinguished career with the University, Dr. Natalicio has served as vice president for academic affairs, dean of liberal arts, chair of the modern languages department and professor of linguistics. Her sustained commitment to provide all residents of the Paso del Norte region access to outstanding higher education opportunities has made UTEP a national success story.
Dr. Natalicio serves on the board of trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation and on the board of directors of Trinity Industries, the American Council on Education and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. She has served on the board of governors of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science, the NASA Advisory Committee (NAC), the boards of the Sandia Corporation and Internet2, and was appointed by President George H.W. Bush as a member of the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Initially appointed to the National Science Board by President Bill Clinton in 1994, she served two six-year terms as a Board member and three two-year terms as the NSB’s vice chair.
In recognition of her success in building strong partnerships between UTEP, the El Paso Community College and school districts in the Paso del Norte region, Dr. Natalicio received the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education in 1997. She was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1999, was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award at The University of Texas at Austin in 2006, and is the recipient of honorary doctoral degrees from Smith College and the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon.
A graduate of St. Louis University, Dr. Natalicio earned a master’s degree in Portuguese and a doctorate in linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin.
