Villegas-Frazier, who had worked in outreach programs on campus for a decade, returned April 1 to become the first director of strategic Native American retention initiatives in Student Affairs. Most recently program coordinator in the office of Student and Resident Diversity at the School of Medicine, she brings with her more than 20 years of experience in Native American outreach and retention services and programs.
The new position is among campus efforts to develop and expand initiatives to support the recruitment and academic success of historically underrepresented groups — African American, Chicano/Latino and Native American — and reduce the time necessary for all students to earn their degrees.
Among her current professional and volunteer activities, Villegas-Frazier has served as vice chair of the Sacramento Native American Health Center since 2013 and been a board member of since 2009. She has been a reader of undergraduate applications at UC Davis since 2012 and a member of the university’s Native American workgroup since 1994.
She has also chaired the UC American Indian Counselor Recruiters Association; been a member of the Pinoleville Tribal Nation’s education committee; and managed the health and nutrition component of California Indian Headstart, a program that supports the school readiness of children from low-income families.