Dr. Esther J. Calzada, the Norma and Clay Leben Professor in Child and Family Behavioral Health at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, is passing on her role of Director of Texas Center for Equity Promotion (TexCEP) to College of Education’s associate professor, Dr. Deborah Salvo.
As director for the past two years, Dr. Calzada advanced TexCEP’s mission to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities during a period of tremendous growth for the organization. During her tenure, TexCEP grew to more than 70 affiliates and across eight UT colleges and schools, and launched several programs for faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students. TexCEP now manages more than 60 active research and contract accounts, with 19 active principal investigators and expenditures of more than $5 million.
Dr. Calzada also worked with the leadership of several large projects as they joined the center, including the Texas RP3 Network, the Texas Education THRIVE program, Project MALES and the National Disability Center for Student Success.
A key TexCEP community leader from the center’s inception, Dr. Calzada will remain an active TexCEP faculty affiliate whose passion for promoting early learning and positive behavioral health outcomes in young Latinx children remains a priority.
Dr. Deborah Salvo, Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, has been appointed the new TexCEP center director where she will continue promoting TexCEP’s core values and mission while overseeing its strategic direction and day-to-day operations.
As a physical activity and public health scientist, Dr. Salvo seeks to understand the role of context on physical activity and health disparities with a special emphasis on Latin American populations. Her research is motivated by the pursuit of health equity and social justice both in the U.S. and internationally. Her broad expertise and energy will continue to build upon the strong leadership foundation for TexCEP.
Dr. Calzada’s vision for TexCEP forged a path for addressing and confronting longstanding disparities in education and health that have disproportionately impacted underserved communities. Under Dr. Salvo’s leadership, the center’s research mission will advance and grow the initiatives and efforts already in place while moving TexCEP, and its ongoing pursuit of equity, forward.