The LRI Team
Leadership
Nancy Rodriguez
Director; Professor
Dr. Nancy Rodriguez is Director of the Latino Research Institute (LRI) and Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. As Director of LRI, she is committed to strengthening the student experience and advancing faculty excellence. She engages across disciplines to deepen understanding of pressing societal issues. A central focus of Dr. Rodriguez’s work is the study of Latinos in the criminal justice system. Her research examines criminal justice policy, with particular attention to its impact on justice-involved individuals and communities. Trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods, Dr. Rodriguez regularly employs mixed-methods approaches in her scholarship. Her current projects center on two broad areas: (1) race, crime, and justice, and (2) correctional policy and public safety.
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Erick Kilpatrick
Associate Director of Research Development
Erick serves as Associate Director of Research Development at the LRI, where he supports research initiatives that connect innovation with real-world applications. He brings experience in industry research contract negotiations, strategic partnerships, and research administration. Since joining UT Austin in 2020, Erick has supported collaborative research efforts across campus and worked with Discovery to Impact and the Center for Autonomy at the Oden Institute.
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Krissia Plascencia
Senior Academic Program Coordinator
Dr. Krissia Plascencia is a researcher, writer, and educator. Her research examines educational and health inequities through the experiences of children and young people who translate and explain language and culture for health-related needs. Dr. Plascencia has been published in the Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research, International Migration, and Talking Points. Dr. Plascencia has taught at UC Irvine, UCLA, and Occidental College and was a Provost's Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow at the College of Education at UT Austin. She holds a Ph.D. from the UCLA Graduate School of Education in Urban Schooling and a BA from UC Santa Cruz in Latin American and Latina/o/x Studies.
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Erin Rodriguez
Area Director for Research
Dr. Erin Rodríguez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at UT Austin. In partnership with schools, clinics, and community organizations, Dr. Rodríguez studies family, sociocultural, and contextual influences on children’s development and health outcomes, with a focus on understanding and reducing health disparities that impact Latinx youth. She also teaches courses in child social/emotional assessment and pediatric psychology & health disparities in the College of Education.
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Theresa Orendain
Senior Administrative Associate
With 13 years of experience, Theresa Orendain brings a strong background in administrative operations and human resources to the LRI, including employee recruitment, onboarding, appointment processing, and staff and student hiring. Her experience also includes purchasing, travel coordination, budget support, and event planning. Before joining the LRI, she worked at the Butler School of Music, supporting the school’s academic and administrative community. At the LRI, Theresa helps coordinate daily operations, supports research initiatives, and guides colleagues through university and HR processes. A people person at heart, she enjoys making others feel welcome, finding answers, and bringing a little humor to even the busiest workdays.
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Research Team
Perla Perez
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Associate III
Dr. Perla Pérez earned her Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Social Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She has extensive training in advanced statistical methodologies and holds a Certificate in Quantitative Methods in Psychology. In addition, Dr. Pérez is experienced in qualitative research methods and program evaluation. Dr. Pérez's research focuses on pro-environmental behavior, environmental communication, climate adaptation, and environmental justice. Her work seeks to better understand how individuals and communities respond to environmental challenges and how effective communication strategies can promote sustainable and equitable outcomes. At the LRI, Dr. Pérez coordinates special research initiatives, supports the development and implementation of research projects, and manages the collection, analysis, and interpretation of research data.
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Oriana Lozano
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Associate II
Oriana Lozano supports the coordination of the LRI's special research initiatives. Originally from Nuevo León, México, Oriana earned her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Monterrey and a Master of Global Policy Studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, specializing in Global Governance and International Law. Before relocating to Austin, she worked for two years with the Government of the State of Nuevo León, contributing to the development of strategic planning instruments. Having lived in México, Germany, and the United States, Oriana brings a global perspective to her work. Her academic and professional interests focus on the intersection of global health and human rights.
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Paula Lezama
Postdoctoral Fellow
Paula Lezama is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research examines racialized inequality, political economy, migration, and Afro-Latin American life through a decolonial lens. She holds a PhD in Latin American Studies from UT Austin, an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of South Florida, and a BA in Economics from Colombia. Drawing on economics, sociology, and cultural studies, she combines quantitative, qualitative, and community-engaged methods to examine structural inequalities, institutional dynamics, and community-driven alternatives. Her research spans community-based economic practices among Afrodescendant populations in Latin America, criminal justice equity in Texas through her work at the LRI, and U.S. immigration policy and educational outcomes through the Numbers for Justice Collaborative. Across these areas, she connects decolonial perspectives with empirical research.
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Nelly Salgado de Snyder
Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Nelly Salgado de Snyder earned her Doctorate in Social Welfare from UCLA and a M.A. and B.A. in Psychology from UNAM. She specializes in researching social inequities that create environments of vulnerability and risk, which directly impact health and behavior. She is an emeritus member of the prestigious Sistema Nacional de Investigadores de México and recently retired from the Mexican National Institute of Public Health (INSP) where she was a professor and researcher in medical sciences.
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