Pioneering Latino broadcaster Dr. Hugo Morales, a long-time member of Fresno State’s University Advisory Board, a former lecturer on campus and an honorary doctorate awardee in 1999, has been appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Morales will become the second trustee from the San Joaquin Valley currently serving on the board, joining Fresno State alumnus Dr. Peter G. Mehas, a former Fresno County Schools superintendent. The region had two trustees until earlier this year when Fresno State alumna Carol Chandler’s term ended.

Fresno State President John D. Welty was pleased by the appointment. “Hugo Morales has served two decades on the University Advisory Board,” Welty noted, “providing not only his guidance about the Latino community in our region, but also setting an example of community connection.

“His commitment to public higher education in California makes him an excellent appointment to the Board of Trustees. With Dr. Morales and Pete Mehas on the board, our Valley will continue to have strong representation,” Welty added.

Morales, who grew up in the Valley in a farmworker family, founded Fresno-based Radio Bilingüe Inc. since 1980, and has served as its executive director ever since. He helped build a national radio network and established radio stations serving Spanish-speaking residents in several California communities with news, information and entertainment.

Morales, who earned a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1999 and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1994.

He was an adjunct lecturer in Fresno State’s La Raza Studies Program from 1976 to 1979.

Morales has been a member of The California Endowment’s Board of Directors since 2004 and is active in numerous organizations, including the University of California, Merced Advisory Board and the California Postsecondary Education Commission.

The appointment requires conformation by the California Senate.