Dr. Florencio Urías Aranda III

About Me

Dr. Florencio U. Aranda III (Él/He/Him), a frontera native of Presidio, Texas & Ojinaga, Chihuahua, México, has dedicated his life to leadership, advocacy, and research. 

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At Texas Tech University (TTU), Dr. Aranda III received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish, with a minor in Political Science in May 2007. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Romance Languages in Spanish & Portuguese in May 2010. During his Master’s studies, Aranda studied and taught abroad in Seville, Spain, as a Graduate Instructor of Spanish. 

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Furthermore, Aranda received a Master's in Interdisciplinary Studies in May 2015 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education in August 2015. His dissertation research focused on analyzing Latino U.S. Congressmen from the U.S. Southwest and their impact on Higher Education. His research was influenced by the congressional experience he received interning with U.S. Congressman Pete P. Gallego of the 23rd District of Texas during the 113th Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

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Additionally, Dr. Aranda III completed a Master of Legal Studies degree in Legal Studies from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in May 2019. 

Most recently, Dr. Aranda III served as Director of Student Global and Community Connections at Tarleton State University. He previously worked as the Assistant Director of Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Texas Christian University. Prior to TCU, he worked as the Multicultural Latina/o/x Retention Advisor in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at South Dakota State University (SDSU). Prior to SDSU, he served as the Assistant Director of Safety Interventions for the TTU College of Education's East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood Grant. 

In terms of volunteer leadership experience, Dr. Flo recently was elected to serve as the 2024-25 Vice President of the Lambda Sigma DFW Alumni Chapter of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Incorporated (ΛΘΦ), having crossed in Spring 2024. Moreover, he serves as Executive Vice-President of the Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (TADOHE), Vice-President of the Mexican American College Education Fund, and Chair of the Career and Leadership Development Institute for the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE). 

Previously, Dr. Flo served as the 2013 Social Justice Chair and as the 2014 Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, while he was a TTU doctoral student.  Post-graduation, Dr. Aranda III served as the 2017 - 2018 TACHE Plains Regional Representative. While in South Dakota, Dr. Aranda III co-created the TACHE Mentorship program serving as Chair from 2018 - 2022. He also served as the New Professionals Representative & Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the South Dakota Higher Education Association. Moreover, Dr. Aranda served as a mentor to the SD Alpha Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦΕ) at South Dakota State University. His contributions to SigEp didn't go unrecognized. Aranda received an honorary bid in December 2020 and was recognized as a Brother Renaissance (Honorary Member) in June 2021. Upon returning to Texas, Dr. Flo concluded his tenure as TACHE Mentorship Chair in 2022 when he made a run for the TACHE State Leadership, serving as President-Elect (2021-22), State President (2022-23), and Immediate Past State President (2023-24). For TADOHE, he served as inaugural Vice-President of Legislative Advocacy from 2022-23 and as Co-President from 2023-24.

His extensive education, volunteerism, leadership, and professional experience have allowed him to advocate for underrepresented and underserved students while being called upon to share his life's narrative and academic research. He strives to be an agent of change for diverse communities and has made it his mission to serve others and to lead by example in the educational, political, and cultural arenas he navigates.