Neptaly “Taty” Aguilera ’73 Recognized with 2024 Alumni Award
Cal Aggie Alumni Association recognizes diversity, equity and inclusion champion with Aggie Service Award
In recognition of his remarkable service to support diversity, equity and inclusion at UC Davis, the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association has named Neptaly “Taty” Aguilera ’73 the 2024 Aggie Service award winner.
Aguilera, who has been an ardent supporter UC Davis' efforts to become a Hispanic Serving Institute, will receive the alumni award at the 51st Alumni Award Gala on May 2.
"Taty has been a persistent, strategic, and dedicated voice at UC Davis and in the UC System especially to advance the interests of Latina/o/e students. It is rare to witness this level of unwavering commitment over decades from an alumni who does this work based on his convictions and his commitment to equity in higher education," said Raquel E. Aldana, Martin Luther King Jr. professor of law at UC Davis and UC Davis HSI Taskforce member. "Taty has been instrumental in ensuring that the Hispanic Serving Institution vision as documented in the UC Davis HSI Taskforce Report, on which he served, is realized. It is wonderful he is being recognized for all of these efforts."
Aggie Service Award: Neptaly ‘Taty’ Aguilera
Aguilera first learned about activism as a student, sparking a passion that led to a 40-year civil-service career dedicated to fostering social justice and providing educational opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.
Among his accomplishments, Aguilera was instrumental in organizing California’s first Equal Employment Opportunity conference and founding the Chicano Latino State Employees Association, the largest organization of its kind in the state. He also led efforts to bring the annual César Chávez Youth Leadership Conference to UC Davis over 20 years ago.
Recently retired, Aguilera remains busier than ever. He serves as co-chair and co-founder of the University of California Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association and is the alumni representative to the UC Office of the President’s Chicano Latino Advisory Council.
And Aguilera is deeply connected to his alma mater through volunteerism he often calls a “labor of love.” He is a member of the UC Davis Health Community Advisory Board and UC Davis’ Hispanic-Serving Institution Community Council, which seeks to boost recruitment, retention and graduation numbers among the Chicanx and Latinx student populations. From 2017 to 2023, Aguilera served on CAAA’s Board of Directors.