Midwestern University Names Victoria Franks as Vice President of Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach

Kathleen H. Goeppinger, President and Chief Executive Officer of Midwestern University, is pleased to announce that Victoria B. Franks, M.Adm., has been promoted to Vice President of Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach.

In her role, Ms. Franks helps develop educational events and service programs that help build intercultural understanding and highlight the diverse backgrounds of its students, faculty, staff, and patients. She chairs the Staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Group, serves as a member of the Website Oversight Committee, and is an ad hoc member of the Faculty Senate Diversity Committee and the Alumni Diversity Council. Ms. Franks began her career at Midwestern University in 2008 as the Assistant to the Dean of the Arizona College of Optometry (AZCOPT). She served as Executive Assistant to the President in 2018, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2021, and Assistant Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2022.

Ms. Franks received her Licentiate in Law degree from Christopher Columbus University (UCC) in Veracruz, Mexico, and her Master of Administration with Distinction from Northern Arizona University, where she was inducted to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and selected as a finalist for the Outstanding Hispanic Student Award. Prior to joining the University, Ms. Franks practiced law in Veracruz, Mexico, where she spent her formative years. After moving to the United States in 2003, she became certified as a K-12 educator in Georgia, and she helped coordinate a "Plazas Comunitarias" educational program from 2004-2008 with the Consulate of Mexico in Atlanta.

Ms. Franks is also a newly elected member of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors and has been a member of their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee since 2021.