Larry Estrada

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Dr. Lawrence (Larry) J. Estrada is Director of American Cultural Studies and Associate Professor at Fairhaven College, Western Washington University. He is responsible for the administration and development of curricula within the American Cultural Studies Program as well as working on curricular transformation efforts within Western Washington University. He is a tenured faculty member within Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. During his tenure at Western Washington University Estrada has held a number of different posts. These have included Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs-Diversity, Vice Provost for Diversity, Vice Provost, Acting Vice President for Student Affairs and Acting Provost. Estrada came to Western Washington University seventeen years ago from Colorado State University, where he was an administrator and faculty member while serving in various administrative capacities over a ten year period. Prior to that he held administrative posts and faulty positions at UCLA and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. His recent research and work includes the issues of immigration patterns between Mexico and the United States as well as the social, cultural implications of public policy related to indigenous folk healing and curanderismo within the Mexican states of Michoacán and Oaxaca.^[1]

Estrada obtained his Ph.D. from UCLA in the area of International and Comparative Education with cognate specializations in Sociology and Latin American Studies. His undergraduate degree was obtained at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the fields of Speech Communication and Journalism with a Masters degree in Education Administration from Whittier College. He also pursued post-doctoral work and studies at Harvard University (MDP), University of California, Berkeley and the University of Nebraska.

Professor Estrada served in the United States Marine Corps as a military journalist/combat correspondent during the Vietnam Era (1968-1970) and was a Council Member and Mayor of the City of Fort Collins, Colorado (1985-1989).^[2] He has served on a number of Boards and Commissions in the states of Colorado and Washington.

As former chair of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Estrada was given the Benito Juarez award by the Whatcom Hispanic Organization for his work and leadership within the local and statewide Hispanic Communities.^[3] He also was the recipient of the Whatcom County Human Rights Task Force "Human Rights Leadership Award." In recognition of his professional work he was recently awarded the Charles C. Irby Distinguished Leadership and Service Award by the National Association for Ethnic Studies for his role in advancing the study of Ethnic and Interdisciplinary Studies. Western Washington University honored him with the WWU Presidential Diversity Achievement Award for his continued work in "enhancing diversity and multicultural understanding on the WWU campus and throughout the State of Washington."

Estrada currently serves as the president of the National Association for Ethnic Studies (http://www.ethnicstudies.org/), an organization dedicated to scholarship and social activism for ethnic minority communities both domestically and internationally. The organization hosts a membership of scholars and institutions throughout the world.

Estrada co-edited and contributed to Immigration In America Today: An Encyclopedia.^[4] He was named in David Horowitz's book The Professors as one of the most dangerous academics in the United States.^[5] He is also listed by FrontPage Magazine as one of the leading leftist political thinkers in the world.^[6]