Tony Ortiz will serve as the Interim Assistant Vice President for Multicultural Affairs and Community Engagement, his tenure beginning August 15.
He will serve in this capacity for up to a year while a permanent position-holder is recruited.
Although Ortiz is only committed to serving for a one-year interim period, he said he will likely throw his hat in for the permanent position.
"I'm really looking forward to serving as the Assistant Vice President, and I'm excited to have direct interactions with students again," he said. "If all goes well and other variables allow it, I will seriously consider filling this position permanently," added Ortiz.
Ortiz created and subsequently directed the athletic training program for 35 years. He hopes to bring this experience, as well as other experiences, skills and connections gained from various community projects and political roles, to his position as Interim Assistant Vice President.
"I excel at seeing problems in the community and then creating programs to address them," he said. "I find resources that are already in place, and then tweak them to open doors for everyone," Ortiz added.
Ortiz said that he and Barrett have big plans for the coming year, some of which will be hashed out and set in motion during a meeting in August.
"We are going to try to identify steps that can be taken on campus to expose students to previously unavailable resources and activities, while also involving faculty and the wider community," said Ortiz. "We will be working with all of the colleges, as well as other WSU and community organizations," he added.
