Frank Herrera

Frank Herrera is the Interim Special Projects Coordinator in the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Cal Poly Humboldt. His work focuses on advancing equity, belonging, and institutional effectiveness through collaboration, systems thinking, and cross-campus partnership.

He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts (Linguistics) from San Diego State University and an M.Ed. in TESOL from the University of San Diego. His early career included teaching and community-based work with refugee and immigrant populations through organizations such as the International Rescue Committee and Catholic Charities. He has also taught across higher education institutions and previously directed a Pre-MBA/Pre-Master’s program for international students.
 

Since joining Cal Poly Humboldt in 2019, Frank has supported the development of student-centered spaces and initiatives through the Multicultural Center and the Social Justice, Equity & Inclusion Center, and now within ODEI. His work includes leading special projects, supporting grant development, contributing to institutional reporting, and serving as a lead for the ODEI Student Fellows program.

Lanes and Responsibilities

Direct Lead

• Special Projects (Professional Development Day, STARS, Commencement and End of Semester Faculty and Staff Kickback event, campus engagement initiatives)
• Student Fellows Program 
• Interfaith Calendar and Humboldt Equity Consortium

Shared / Co-Lead

• Grant development and partnership building
• Workshop development 

Approach

• Frank’s work emphasizes systems thinking, co-creation, and relationship-centered practices that translate equity values into sustainable institutional processes.
   

Favorite Quote: “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” – Epictetus
Hobbies: Biking, freediving, running, camping
Areas of Interest: Social & Environmental Justice, Critical Pedagogy, Stoicism, Deconstruction, Absurdism, Minimalism/Essentialism, Systems Thinking