Dr. Gabriel Gallardo was a profound leader that has left a lasting impact on NAEOP, TRIO and the communities and students in which he served. Dr. Gallardo was a leader within the NAEOP community at a state, regional and national level; serving as president-elect, president and past president of the NAEOP Board of Directors from 2012 to 2014. Dr. Gallardo had an unrelenting passion for equity and inclusive excellence in higher education.
Dr. Gallardo passed away in May of 2020. However, his career of service and commitment to diversity cannot be overstated. Through his work, he paved the way for hundreds of thousands of students from underrepresented communities to pursue higher education and beyond. Dr. Gallardo led with compassion, integrity, empathy, and empowerment. His support for programs extended far beyond creating programming and pathways for success – he was personally invested in student success and found great joy in seeing young scholars develop their talents, voices and discover their own personal potential. His legacy is one that he chose and worked for his entire life – and has produced a generation of students who have found success, satisfaction and passion in the field of academia; who will now pass on Dr. Gallardo’s love for learning and discovery to their own students. Dr. Gallardo will live on in these students and through all the generations to come.