Luis H. Zayas, PhD, is the new UTRGV’s new provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs. He will start his new role on June 1.
From 2012-2022, Zayas served as dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy at UT Austin while also holding an appointment as professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UT Austin’s Dell Medical School.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Dr. Zayas’s caliber fill this role for UTRGV,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey said. “Dr. Zayas is respected nationally as a higher education administrator and as a successful practitioner and researcher in the field of social work. I am confident that his background and experience will help to enhance UTRGV’s vision of becoming one of the nation’s leaders in higher education.”
In his role at UTRGV, Zayas will oversee academic affairs with a focus on the institution’s core priority of student success. Under his leadership, academic affairs also will continue striving to identify, recruit and retain highly qualified, talented and diverse faculty members committed to UTRGV’s vision, mission, values and strategic priorities.
About Luis H. Zayas
A native of Coamo, Puerto Rico, Zayas received his BA in economics and liberal arts from Manhattan College. He then earned a master’s degree in social work and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology, both from Columbia University.
He began his social work career in New York City as a clinician in social service agencies, general and pediatric rehabilitation hospitals, and mental health and primary care clinics in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.
Zayas went on to teach at Columbia University, Fordham University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author of three books and more than 130 scientific papers and chapters. He has lectured nationally and internationally and is a frequent commentator on issues of children’s mental health, appearing in a popular TED talk, The New York Times, TIME Magazine, CNN.com, Washington Post, Telemundo, Univision, NPR and BBC Radio.