Restrepo Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

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Luis Fernando Restrepo, vice chancellor for diversity and community and director of the office of Latino academic advancement and community relations

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Luis Fernando Restrepo, vice chancellor for diversity and community and director of the office of Latino academic advancement and community relations, received a lifetime achievement award at the 15th annual Lideres de Corazon celebration. The event was hosted by ALPFA and its Northwest Arkansas chapter in Rogers last week.

The lifetime achievement award recognizes an individual whose life shows a clear dedication to service, promotion and development in the Latino community. Restrepo was selected because of his work to recruit and retain Latino students at the University of Arkansas and for his advancement of Latinos at all levels through community outreach.

"Luis Restrepo has been a determined and passionate advocate of diversity, equity, and educational opportunity issues as an educator and as a community member," said Charles Robinson, vice chancellor for diversity and community. "He has worked energetically to develop new programs for Latino students and has been engaged in campus, local and statewide efforts to improve college access and retention. Luis is exceptionally deserving of this award."

Restrepo, who is a professor of Spanish, comparative literature and Latin American and Latino studies, has developed numerous campus-based and outreach programs targeting Latino students at the middle school, junior high, high school and college levels. This fall he is co-teaching an honors social science colloquium on educational equity with education reform professor Robert Maranto and political science professor Patrick Stewart.

ALPFA is the premier Hispanic Latino national professional membership organization focused on building Latino business leaders. Founded in 1972, ALPFA is the largest and fastest growing Latino leadership development organization in the nation with more than 22,000 members, 41 professional chapters, and120 student chapters. In the first two years since its launch, the NWA Chapter, led by business and community leaders from the region, has gathered more than 2,000 members. It includes a professional chapter, a student chapter at NWACC and at the University of Arkansas, and ALPFA Academies for students attending Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale high schools.