Alfredo Ortiz

I am a Professor at the Dreeben School of Education at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and current convener of the Adult Education, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AESIE) PhD Concentration. I have been actively engaged over the last 25 years in participatory Action Research (AR), Community-Based Participatory Research, and participatory methodologies applied to community development, health equity, and human rights.

In 2023-24, I was awarded the Moody Professorship for my high level of scholarship, teaching excellence and community service. As part of the award, I delivered the December 2023 Commencement address.

I recently co-lead an AR project that promotes equitable health and wellbeing by bringing together community members, CBOs, university students, professors, and local health jurisdiction workers. The project engages community actors in telling their own wellbeing stories that are then used by local groups to inspire advocacy and inform action. I am a thought leader in AR, co-authoring one of the leading books in the field (Action Research 5th Edition) and also co-edited the Action Research section of the recent Sage Handbook of Participatory Research and Inquiry.