Omar Valerio-Jiménez is a professor in the Department of History and an Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He was born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, to working-class parents, and grew up in Taft, Corpus Christi, and Edinburg, Texas. After graduating from MIT, he worked as an engineer for five years before attending UCLA, where he obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees in United States history. He has taught courses on borderlands, Latinas/os, immigration, race/ethnicity, and the American West at universities in California, Iowa, New York, and Texas.

In his spare time, he enjoys swimming, running, and cycling so he can eat his favorite foods guilt free.