Refugio Rochin is an Agricultural Economist who earned his BA degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, (1966); his MS degree in Agricultural Economics & Anthropology from the University of Arizona, (1967); his MA degree in Communication (1967) and his Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Economics (1971) from Michigan State University. He was Full Professor of Sociology and Agricultural Economics and director of the Julian Samora Research Institute (JSRI) at Michigan State University, 1994-1998. His list of publications includes more than 140 articles in books, magazines, and professional journals. Rochin's publications and lectures focus on Latino contributions to U.S. history, community development, culture, arts, music, and science. Professor Rochin has held several high profile positions including his position as the Executive Director of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS 2003-2005); a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame and the Institute's Associate Director for the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR 2002-2003). Professor Rochin worked nationally with Latino scholars and strengthened the capacity of Latino research centers to generate policy-relevant Latino focused research. He also established the Washington D.C. office of the IUPLR; was a Senior Associate "pro-bono" of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts in Washington, D.C., developing support for Latino actors, producers, and writers in TV and Film in association with the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund. He was the Founding Director of the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives and the Latino Initiatives Fund (1998-2002), in Washington DC. He established the Smithsonian National Board for Latino Initiatives and the Smithsonian's acclaimed "Latino VirtualGallery"