Omar Valerio-Jimenez

Omar Valerio-Jiménez is Professor of History and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Liberal and Fine Arts. He specializes in borderlands, immigration, and Mexican-American history, with a focus on collective memory and civil rights struggles.

• Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT; M.A. and Ph.D. in History from UCLA
• Leadership Roles: Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2022); Program Coordinator for UTSA History Department’s Public History Certificate

His research explores:

• Post-annexation Mexican-American civil rights struggles
• Transnational memory politics of the U.S.-Mexico War
• Textbook reform efforts in the Southwest
• Gender dynamics in borderlands legal systems
• Latino Midwest experiences

His publications have earned prestigious accolades including:

• Dorothy Schwieder Prize (2017)
• Mildred Throne-Charles Aldrich Award (2017)
• H. Bailey Carroll Award (2020)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
• Western History Association Fellowship

As a first-generation scholar, he actively mentors underrepresented students and leads public humanities initiatives connecting universities with borderlands history projects. His editorial roles include: book review editor for the Journal of American Ethnic History, series editor for the Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest Series, and advisory roles for the Studies in Midwestern History and Journal of Texas Archeology and History.