Nicki Gonzales

Nicki Gonzales is an educator and historian. She is an associate professor of history at Regis University, and was the Colorado State Historian in 2021-2022. She was the first Latino person in this role.

Biography
Nicki Gonzales was born and raised in Denver, and her family comes from southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Her family was part of the coal mining and agricultural communities in southern Colorado, until her grandparents moved to Denver for economic opportunity during World War II. Her grandfather was an active union member in the meat packing industry. She identifies as Mexican-American and Chicana.

Gonzales graduated from Yale University with a BA in English literature in 1992. She earned her PhD in American History from University of Colorado Boulder in 1997. While at CU Boulder, she was one of the researchers who built the case for the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant lawsuits. Additionally, she developed a research interest into Mexican-American and Chicano Vietnam war veterans, partly because her father was a Marine during the war.

Gonzales is a professor of history and vice provost for diversity and inclusion at Regis University.

She is a member of the State Historian's Council. She served as an advisor for several History Colorado exhibits, including El Movimiento: The Chicano Movement in Colorado and Zoom In: The Centennial State in 100 Objects. She was appointed in 2020 by Governor Jared Polis as vice chair of the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board. She also served on Mayor Michael Hancock's advisory panel for renaming public landmarks.

In 2021, she was named Colorado State Historian by the State Historian's Council. One of her goals was to create "a more inclusive, broader history of our state."

Gonzales was a major contributor to Denver's first Latino/Chicano Historic Context study. Her research expertise is in Chicano history and Southwest social and political movements, including the experiences of Chicano/Latino Vietnam veterans.

Personal life
Gonzales has two sons, Danny and Teddy.

Published works

 * Gonzales, Nicki. “‘Yo Soy Loco Por Esa Sierra’: The History of Land Rights Activism in San Luis Colorado, 1863-2002.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2007.

Recognition

 * 2021, Trailblazer Award from Latinas First Foundation