Rick Chavolla grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and earned his B.A. from Boston University and his M.A. from Boston College. In 1988 he began his career in higher education at Northern Arizona University. Throughout the 35 years that followed Rick has taught classes in his academic field of political science and history, as well as seminars on diversity and student success at a wide range of institutions. He has also directed centers and initiatives to advance multiculturalism, equity and social justice. The positions he has held include Instructor and Academic Counselor at Arizona State University; Assistant Dean at Yale, where he directed La Casa Cultural and the Native American Cultural Center; Associate Director of the American Council on Education’s Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity; and Director of New York University’s Center for Multicultural Education and Programs. Rick has been adjunct faculty at ASU’s College of Education, Phoenix College and South Mountain Community College. Additionally, he has worked as a consultant with diverse entities ranging from universities to museums to non-profit organizations in their efforts to promote equity, diversity and inclusion. Rick is incredibly happy and honored to be full-time faculty and Chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences at San Carlos Apache College.
The Higher Education Institution of the Apache People