Women of Impact: Interview with Marla Franco

Marla Franco, UArizona vice president of Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives, brings the HSI mission to life with a passion for advocacy, an equity-centered approach, and plenty of shared wisdom from friends and colleagues.

In the "Conversations with Women of Impact" interview series, Women of Impact award winners provide perspectives on the future of their fields, share what inspires them, and discuss what they've been up to over the last year.

Tell us about your work.

As the inaugural vice president for Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives, I provide vision, strategy, and capacity-building efforts that help bring the HSI designation to life in ways that matter most to all those who come here to learn and work—particularly those who have been underrepresented and historically excluded in higher education.

What kind of impact are you trying to have in your field over the course of your career?

I’m most energized by the daily opportunities to be a force of influence and advocacy for HSIs across the nation. I love to innovate, push the boundaries of what universities think is possible, create networked communities of practice that support and reinforce efforts, and build a foundation for this work that will long outlive my own career. I keep telling people around me that I have vision for this work that far exceeds my lifetime, so bringing others along and cultivating thinkers and doers at HSIs is vital to sustaining efforts into the future.

In your view, what are some things people and institutions can do to retain and advance women in their work?

Institutions must create structures, policies, processes, and accountability measures that center equity and inclusion, particularly around pay, promotion, and organizational culture. Without such structure, women often shoulder the weight of self-advocacy which can be exhausting and most definitely impacts retention. Women of color tend to be most negatively impacted by this.

Can you talk about a mentor who made a significant impact on your career?

I have drawn guidance, inspiration, wisdom, and navigational strategy from so many over the years. For me, mentorship comes from both formal and informal networks and relationships, including all that I learn from those that I mentor, as well as peer mentorship that I draw upon from colleagues near and far. I have a few small circles, mostly women of color, who are both in and outside of higher education, who have served as sources of support regarding all sorts of matters. Whether it’s getting group advice over dinner and drinks, texting them an update regarding a challenging situation that I overcame, or reaching out to ask for strategies on negotiating my most recent promotion, this network has been an essential part of my journey.

How do you foresee your field changing over the next 10-20 years?

The landscape of HSIs and related initiatives will continue to develop exponentially over the next 10-20 years. Between 2011-2021, the number of HSIs increased by 216, from 356 to 572. Over the past few years in particular, we’ve seen a growth in scholarship on HSIs, increased federal funding opportunities for HSIs to apply for, a growing interest among industry wanting to partner with HSIs, the launch of new national and regional HSI alliances and consortia, and a growing segment of higher education leaders with HSI roles and responsibilities. I have no doubt that this work will continue to grow and evolve over time and will hopefully push and inform ways of improved practice at HSIs. My hope is that the University of Arizona continues to be at the forefront of this innovation.

What’s on your desk right now?

I work from home and come to campus as needed for meetings and events, so my “desk” ends up being different locations in my home. This actually works well for me as I balance my role at the university along with raising two teenagers.

What are you reading and/or listening to lately?

Here are a few things that I’ve been slowly making my way through: Jefa in Training: The Business Startup Toolkit for Entrepreneurial and Creative Women by Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want by Ruha Benjamin, and The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

What have you been up to since receiving the award last year?

I’ve certainly been up to a lot in the past year and none of it has happened alone. In fall of 2022, the University of Arizona was recertified with the Seal of Excelencia from Excelencia in Education, which involved working with a dedicated team of campus partners to prepare our institutional application. The Seal of Excelencia is a national certification awarded to higher education institutions that have demonstrated institutional transformation to serve their students, particularly Latino students.

I also serve as co-founder of the AZ HSI Consortium and, in October 2022, we hosted the inaugural AZ HSI Summit with nearly 200 attendees from across the state, including 20 workshops, a student panel, and a networking session. HSI Initiatives launched its inaugural annual report and hosted an annual UA HSI Forum in March 2023. In November 2022, HSI Initiatives moved organizationally from the Office of the Provost to the Executive Office of the President, which came with a direct reporting line to President Robbins and a promotion from assistant vice provost to vice president of HSI Initiatives.

I’ve also been working to ensure that my team receives fair and equitable compensation as the work of HSI Initiatives increases in scope and complexity, which has been no small feat. Recently, two major funding proposals were awarded that will support major growth of the AZ HSI Consortium over the next five years. No two days are ever the same, which is exactly how I like it. There was also a lot that I navigated personally in the last year, but the rough patches helped bring about more self-compassion and inner strength.