Emilio A Solano

Solano became the Assistant Provost for Institutional Equity & Student Success in June 2022. In this role he assists in the development and promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives throughout the University and its respective units as well as student success and access initiatives such as Academic Support, Advising, Accessible Education Services, and Willamette Academy. Additionally, Solano chairs the Institutional Equity Committee.

A Salem native and Sprague High School graduate, Solano earned his bachelor's degree in History and American Ethnic Studies from Willamette University in 2009. He then joined the Teach for America Corps in Los Angeles, an experience that continues to inform his work. Solano previously served as a middle school history and language arts teacher, assistant principal at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, dean of students at ICEF Inglewood Middle Charter Academy, and corps member advisor and school director for Teach For America's summer institute. Prior to joining the Provost's Office, Solano was the executive director of Willamette Academy, the university's out-of-school college access program, from 2016-2022.

Solano holds a master's degree in Urban Education: Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University and completed advanced coursework through the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE). In 2021, he earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership from Lewis & Clark College. His dissertation focused on how the experiences of White-passing biracial (Latinx/White) teachers shaped their personal and teacher identity, their motivation for entering the field, and how their identity informed their teaching practice.