Michael Rios, vice provost for public scholarship at UC Davis, has been named to the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities' (APLU) prestigious Commission on Economic and Community Engagement's Executive Committee. 

The committee focuses on broadening engagement through three areas: talent and workforce development; innovation, entrepreneurship and tech-based economic development; and place development through public service, outreach, extension and engagement. During his three-year term, Rios will work with the committee to contribute to federal policy issues, develop best practices for community engagement projects, and advise on research and initiatives.

“I am honored to represent UC Davis on APLU’s Commission on Economic and Community Engagement,” Rios said. “This opportunity not only allows me to bring visibility to the impactful work at UC Davis but also underscores the university’s commitment to address economic, environmental, health and social problems in our communities.” 

Rios currently leads the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement (PSE), which oversees university-wide collaborative efforts to recognize public scholarship in research and teaching, create community engaged learning opportunities for students and increase access to university resources for community partners. Since 2019, PSE has awarded more than $430,000 in grants and fellowships to faculty, students and community organizations. ​​

A UC Davis faculty member since 2007, Rios is a professor of urban design in the Department of Human Ecology and served as chair of the Community Development Graduate Group from 2011 to 2015. He also serves on the steering committee and is co-founder of the UC-wide Community Engagement Network. This interdisciplinary network involves participants from all ten campuses, and focuses on building the collective capacity of the UC around public scholarship and community engagement.