Rogelio Riojas, president and chief executive officer for Sea Mar Community Health Centers, is the 2013 recipient of the Charles E. Odegaard Award, the 天美影视传媒 Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) announced Feb. 4.
The award will be presented at the 43rd annual EOP Celebration, F锚te and Honors hosted by OMA&D and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) on Thursday, May 16, at the Husky Union Building on the UW campus. The dinner and scholarship fundraiser will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Established in 1973, the Odegaard award honors individuals whose leadership in the community exemplifies the former UW president鈥檚 work on behalf of diversity. It is the only University and community-selected award, and is regarded as the highest achievement in diversity at the UW.
鈥淎s the leader of Sea Mar for the last 35 years, Rogelio has ensured that thousands of our state鈥檚 most vulnerable people receive health and human services,鈥� said Sheila Edwards Lange, UW vice president for minority affairs and vice provost for diversity. 鈥淓qually important is his activism and commitment to empowering youth in the Latino community. 聽Rogelio鈥檚 service in the areas of social equity and justice reflect the goals of OMA&D and EOP and we are honored to present him with this award.鈥�
Riojas was born in West Texas and attended high school in Othello, Wash. He spent his youth as a migrant farm laborer and was the first member of his family to go to college when he enrolled at the 天美影视传媒 in 1969. At UW, Riojas was a leader among Latino student activists. He was a member of the UW chapter of M.E.C.h.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan) and Seattle鈥檚 Brown Berets. Riojas was involved in campaigns both on campus and in the community. He helped to convince UW Latino staff to donate five percent of their salaries to the United Farm Workers and participated in the 1972 takeover of Beacon Hill Elementary School which led to the founding of El Centro de la Raza, a social service organization for Seattle鈥檚 Latino community.
Riojas鈥� activism inspired his career in public health. He graduated from the 天美影视传媒 with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in political science (1973) and economics (1975), and a master鈥檚 degree in health administration (1977).
In 1978, he started Sea Mar which began as a single medical clinic in Seattle鈥檚 South Park neighborhood. Today, it is a comprehensive health and human services organization that serves 12 counties and over 140,000 individuals per year in Washington state. The network includes more than 50 medical, dental and behavioral health clinics and centers, as well as a variety of nutritional, social and educational services.
Under Riojas鈥� leadership, Sea Mar broadened its services to focus on education. He established a program that has awarded more than 1,000 scholarships to children of migrant farm workers. In addition, Sea Mar acquired the Latino/a Educational Achievement Program (LEAP) which empowers young Latinos to become strong, educated community members. Riojas is active on several community boards and received many campus and community honors including the 2007 UW Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Distinguished Alumni Award.
For more information about EOP Celebration, F锚te and Honors or the Charles E. Odegaard Award, please visit the Celebration web site.
Charles E. Odegaard Award Recipients
2013聽聽聽聽聽聽 Rogelio Riojas
2012聽聽聽聽聽聽 Gertrude Peoples
2011聽聽聽聽聽聽 Assunta Ng
2010聽聽聽聽聽聽 Nelson Del Rio
2009聽聽聽聽聽聽 W. Ron Allen
2008聽聽聽聽聽聽 1968 Black Student Union
2007聽聽聽聽聽聽 Alan T. Sugiyama
2006聽聽聽聽聽聽 Charles Mitchell
2005聽聽聽聽聽聽 Mike McGavick
2004聽聽聽聽聽聽 Jeff and Susan Brotman
2003聽聽聽聽聽聽 Herman McKinney
2002聽聽聽聽聽聽 Constance L. Proctor
2001聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ernest Dunston
2000聽聽聽聽聽聽 Vivian Lee
1999聽聽聽聽聽聽 Albert Black
1998聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bill Hilliard
1997聽聽聽聽聽聽 Andy Reynolds
1996聽聽聽聽聽聽 Hubert G. Locke
1995聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ron Moore
1994聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bernie Whitebear
1993聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ron Sims
1992聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sandra Madrid
1991聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ken Jacobson
1990聽聽聽聽聽聽 Herman D. Lujan
1989聽聽聽聽聽聽 J. Ray Bowen
1988聽聽聽聽聽聽 Frank Byrdwell
1987聽聽聽聽聽聽 Andrew V. Smith
1986聽聽聽聽聽聽 Phyllis Guti茅rrez Kenney
1985聽聽聽聽聽聽 Norm Rice
1984聽聽聽聽聽聽 Nancy Weber
1983聽聽聽聽聽聽 William Irmscher
1982聽聽聽聽聽聽 Mark Cooper
1981聽聽聽聽聽聽 Millie Russell
1980聽聽聽聽聽聽 Minoru Masuda
1979聽聽聽聽聽聽 Toby Burton
1978聽聽聽聽聽聽 Vivian Kelly
1977聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sam and Joyce Kelly
1976聽聽聽聽聽聽 Leonie Piternick
1975聽聽聽聽聽聽 Larry Gossett
1974聽聽聽聽聽聽 Dalwyn Knight