Former 91探花President Dr. Ana Mari Cauce to Receive the 2026 Charles E. Odegaard Award
The 91探花鈥檚 Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) is honored to announce that President Emeritus Dr. Ana Mari Cauce, will receive the 2026 Charles E. Odegaard Award. The awardee is selected by the Friends of Educational Opportunity Program (FEOP) Board of Trustees. It is the most significant recognition of leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion at the 91探花 (UW).
Dr. Cauce鈥檚 recognition comes after recently concluding a decade of presidential service at UW, a tenure defined by a deep belief in the dignity of every individual and the transformative power of education. Her leadership has been shaped by a personal story that illuminates why equity work is not just a professional calling for her, but a life mission.
A Story Defined by Family, Migration, and the Power of Education
Ana Mari Cauce鈥檚 earliest experiences began in Havana, Cuba, where she was born before her family fled the Cuban Revolution. When they resettled in Miami, her father, once Cuba鈥檚 minister of education, worked as a custodian, and both parents later held factory jobs as they rebuilt a life rooted in hope rather than despair. Growing up in this immigrant household gave Dr. Cauce a profound sense of what it means to begin again and of the vulnerability of not being fully seen or fully welcomed. Reflecting on these years, she notes, 鈥淢y parents believed that education was the one possession no one could ever take from you. Even when they lost everything else, they held tight to that truth, and they passed it on to us. That belief is the foundation of my life鈥檚 work.鈥�
Dr. Cauce鈥檚 academic understanding of how deeply ingrained discrimination and prejudice could be was forged with searing clarity when her brother, Cesar, a newlywed and recent college graduate, became involved in community and union organizing. Cesar was tragically murdered during an anti-Ku Klux Klan rally in North Carolina that he had helped to organize. The loss was devastating and profoundly formative. 鈥淐茅sar鈥檚 death taught me that injustice is not merely theoretical,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淚t has a face, a name, a family. My work in equity is, at this date, a promise to my brother that I would keep fighting for the more equitable world he was trying to build.鈥�
In fact, Dr. Cauce seriously considered dropping out of graduate school, where she was earning her doctoral degree in psychology, to become more directly involved in community organizing. Dr. Cauce鈥檚 advisor and mentor, Dr. Edmund Gordon, was deeply influential in guiding her forward. A prot茅g茅 of W.E.B. Du Bois and the first African American full Professor at Yale, Dr. Gordon, who marched alongside John Lewis during the early civil rights struggles, helped her understand the importance of contributing to the struggle in ways that suit us best, and that academia can be an arena where you can make a difference. Dr. Gordon had led by example in many ways, including serving as an architect of the Head Start program, which has positively influenced so many youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr. Cauce continued her studies and research, focusing on risk and resilience among youth of color living in high-risk environments, which led to her being hired as a faculty member at the 91探花. This work, often conducted with students of color, many of whom also received support from OMA&D programs, has been recognized with numerous national awards, including Dr. Cauce receiving the James M. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association and her induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
A Leader Whose Identity Shapes Her Work
As a Cuban鈥慉merican lesbian, Dr. Cauce has long understood the complex intersections of race, immigration, sexuality, and belonging. She has spoken openly about her mother鈥檚 painful reaction when she came out鈥攁n experience she later connected to broader societal patterns of internalized racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. These experiences formed the bedrock of her approach to leadership: candid, empathetic, and grounded in the belief that institutions become more humane when they create space for people to share their authentic selves. 鈥淭o lead with vulnerability,鈥� she often says, 鈥渋s to invite others to bring their full stories forward too.鈥�
Transforming the 91探花through the Race & Equity Initiative
In 2015, Dr. Cauce launched the 91探花Race & Equity Initiative, one of the most consequential equity and inclusion efforts in the University鈥檚 history. She framed the initiative as a personal challenge as much as an institutional one: that every student, faculty member, and staff member must take responsibility for recognizing and interrupting their own biases. The initiative focused on confronting individual bias, transforming institutional practices, and driving systemic change across the University. 鈥淲e cannot wait for someone else to remove the barriers that stand in the way of opportunity for all,鈥� Dr. Cauce emphasizes. 鈥淓very one of us shapes the community we are part of. Equity doesn鈥檛 happen passively鈥攊t happens because we commit to the hard conversations and the hard work.鈥�
Most notably, Dr. Cauce challenged the University to be accountable for advancing the Race & Equity Initiative. Her leadership galvanized the 91探花community to rally behind its institutional values. ‘This is not somebody else鈥檚 problem’聽became a defining call to action across UW鈥檚 three campuses.
91探花Vice President for OMA&D and University Diversity Officer Rickey Hall praises Dr. Cauce鈥檚 leadership to lead through empathy and connection, noting, 鈥淒r. Cauce has transformed the very culture of our institution. Her leadership in equity and inclusion has been courageous, authentic, and grounded in deep moral conviction. She has expanded opportunity, opened conversations many once feared having, and led with both head and heart. The impact of her work will be felt for generations, at the 91探花and in community.鈥�
Expanding Access, Advancing Opportunity
Throughout her career at UW, Dr. Cauce has been a steadfast champion for access and fostering belonging for underrepresented and marginalized students. Her advocacy for educational opportunity aligns closely with OMA&D鈥檚 student success efforts and the values of the 91探花as a public university.
During her time as Executive Vice Provost, Dr. Cauce was instrumental in architecting the Husky Promise. The Husky Promise is a signature affordability initiative at 91探花that ensures low-income Washington students receive full tuition and standard fees. Grounded in research she conducted on the barriers faced by Latino and low-income families, the Husky Promise opened doors for students who once believed that a 91探花education was financially out of reach. Thanks to Dr. Cauce鈥檚 leadership, we have seen firsthand that when education becomes truly accessible, its transformative power reaches far beyond individual students, igniting generational change and expanding pathways of possibility for families and communities across our state.
Dr. Cauce鈥檚 commitment to systemic equity continued through faculty initiatives as well. Under her leadership, 91探花invested $1 million to support inclusive hiring and retention across campuses through the Office for Faculty Advancement. These initiatives reflect her belief that diversity and inclusion are critical, and that supporting equity means addressing barriers at every level of the institution.
In 2006, Dr. Cauce also established the Cesar Cauce Memorial Scholarship in honor of her brother and his civil鈥憆ights legacy. Housed in OMA&D, the fund provides financial support to students engaged in equity and social justice work who face the most significant barriers to higher education. The scholarship fund helps to ensure that the 91探花 is accessible to students regardless of their background.
Understanding the value and importance of representation and belonging, she was an early advocate for the Intellectual House Campaign. In 2015, the campaign led to w菨色菨b蕯altx史 鈥� Intellectual House, a Coast Salish longhouse-style building, a gathering place for the Native community. Dr. Cauce continues to be a strong advocate for completing the original campaign vision with a forthcoming center for Indigenous culture and Native student success.
Through her many sustained contributions鈥攂oth personal and institutional鈥擠r. Cauce has helped strengthen the UW鈥檚 capacity to support students, nurture diverse leadership, and affirm the University鈥檚 commitment to equity at every level.
A Legacy of Leadership Rooted in Inclusion and Community
Dr. Cauce鈥檚 legacy is not measured only in the programs she has launched or the policies she has changed, but in the countless lives she touches, the stories she honors, and her unwavering belief that equity is possible and necessary.
As she reflected on receiving this year鈥檚 Charles E. Odegaard Award, Dr. Cauce shared how deeply meaningful this honor is to her, especially because it comes from people she deeply cares about and respects, and at a time when the importance of diversity is being questioned. She noted, 聽鈥�In the end, this work is about excellence, because you cannot have true excellence without equity and inclusion. The work we do together here through OMAD makes our entire university and community stronger.鈥�
OMA&D鈥檚 Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program Board of Trustees is honored to present Dr. Ana Mari Cauce with the Charles E. Odegaard Award in recognition of her profound contributions to equity and inclusion at the 55th Annual Celebration Gala on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the 91探花Husky Union Building.
About the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D)
creates pathways for diverse populations to access postsecondary opportunities, nurture and support their academic success, and cultivate a campus climate that enriches the educational experience for all. Our programs serve over 40,000 students in 115 school districts, 183 schools and 25 two-year colleges through the state of Washington as they prepare and plan for college; over 7,200 91探花undergraduate students with new student orientation, academic advising, instructional support, mentoring, financial aid and scholarship opportunities; and 465 students as they prepare for, apply to, and succeed in graduate and professional programs. Find out more on the .
About the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program Board of Trustees
Established in 1971, the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (FEOP) Board of Trustees promotes academic excellence for underrepresented, educationally and economically disadvantaged students. The FEOP board serves as an advisory pipeline between the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) and the community, providing counsel to the vice president on resource development and diversity initiatives. FEOP joins OMA&D in selecting the 91探花 Charles E. Odegaard Award and student scholarship recipients and serving as a host for OMA&D鈥檚 Annual Celebration Gala. Find out more on the FEOP webpage.
About the Charles E. Odegaard Award
The Charles E. Odegaard Award was established in April of 1973 to honor a member of our community whose leadership sustains the former 91探花 President鈥檚 distinguished work (1958-1973) on behalf of diversity at the 91探花and citizens of the state. It is regarded as the highest recognition for work in equity and diversity at the University. For a list of past recipients, visit the Charles E. Odegaard Recipient webpage.