Tomas Figueroa has been named assistant dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Humanities, effective June 15, 2022. Reporting to Dean Tyrus Miller, Figueroa will serve as the school’s most senior-ranking staff member, overseeing the operations of the largest school on the UCI campus by number of faculty.
“As assistant dean, I’ll have an opportunity to make an impact on a community that has helped shape me as a leader while also having a direct impact on the students we serve in ways I have not been able to in my other roles here on campus,” Figueroa said.
Figueroa has had an illustrious career at UCI spanning 16 years and a breadth of departments and units, including several in the School of Humanities. Most recently, he served as chief administrative officer for UCI’s Office of the Chancellor and Office of the Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor where he was responsible for the day-to-day success of the unit, developing strategies to maximize its efficiency and cultivating staff engagement. In the School of Humanities, he has previously served as manager of the Department of English’s composition program, Department of East Asian Studies and the Program in Academic English.
“It’s certainly a wonderful homecoming,” he said. “I look forward to reestablishing working relationships and forging new ones to better understand the needs of the school and how I can best be of service to build upon our community and advise for our further advancement in excellence.”
Figueroa will manage the School of Humanities’ operations, which includes overseeing the budget and resources that support the research, teaching and service mission of more than 2,200 students, 185 senate faculty and 151 lecturers, and 84 career staff spread across 13 academic departments, 27 degree programs and 13 research centers.
An army veteran, Figueroa has served stateside and in Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kuwait and Iraq. His military education benefits helped him pursue higher education. The first generation in his family to attend college, he earned a B.A. in communications from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from Brandman University. He is the co-founder and co-chair of the Faculty and Staff Veterans Association at UCI, a diversity affinity group sponsored by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.