Fred is a passionate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategist and educator whose professional expertise is at the intersection of public service, research, and operations. He was born in Spokane, Washington, raised in the Pacific Northwest and Mexico, and completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Washington. His career spans both public and private organizations and comes to us from the California Institute of Technology, where he managed student and academic affairs while centering his work around community engagement and partnership.
In addition to his leadership within higher education, he loves staying involved and connected with his local community and was previously appointed as LGBTQ Commissioner for the City of Seattle where he advised the Seattle Mayor and City Council about issues of concern affecting the LGBTIQA+ community, recommended policy and legislation considerations, and worked to bring the LGBTIQA+ communities and the larger Seattle community together. He enjoys volunteering and served as a volunteer Suicide and Crisis Counselor to provide quality mental health and substance use services, resources, and care to people in need. He has also worked as a DEI consultant with organizations across the United States.
Recently, he partnered with a nonprofit based in New York City whose mission is to strengthen support systems and resources for high school and college LGBTIQA+, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and first-generation students. Fred holds a B.A. in Business Administration, an M.S. in Information Science and Information Management, and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies and certified in Inclusive Leadership (Empowering the Diverse Workforce) from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.