Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil

Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil
2026 Don Edwards Lecture

Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil is Professor Emeritus of Social Welfare and Public Policy, Director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging, and an Adjunct Professor of Gerontology at USC. He is an accomplished academic and national leader in public policy and is internationally recognized as a leading spokesperson on demographics, aging, and social policy. Dr. Torres-Gil has served in three presidential administrations. He earned his first presidential appointment in 1978 when President Jimmy Carter appointed him to the Federal Council on Aging. He was appointed (with Senate confirmation) by President Bill Clinton as the first-ever U.S. Assistant Secretary on Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1993-1996). As the Clinton Administration’s chief advocate on aging, Dr. Torres-Gil played a key role in promoting the importance of aging, long-term care and disability, community services for the elderly, and Baby Boomer preparation for retirement. In 2010 he received his third presidential appointment (with Senate confirmation) when President Barack Obama appointed him as Vice Chair of the National Council on Disability. 

Dr. Torres-Gil is a graduate of San José State University, earning a B.A. (with honors) in Political Science in 1970. He earned an M.S.W. (1972) and Ph.D. (1976) in Social Policy, Planning and Research at Brandeis University. He has written or co-edited seven books and has over l00 publications. His most recent book (with J. Angel) is titled, The Politics of a Majority-Minority Nation: Aging, Diversity and Immigration. Professor Torres-Gil, the son of migrant farm workers, was born and raised in Salinas, California. He is one of nine siblings raised by a single mother (with support from welfare and public housing programs) and is a polio survivor (benefiting from the generosity of Shriners Hospitals). He and his wife Elvira Castillo, an accomplished legislative analyst and gerontologist, reside in Los Angeles, California surrounded by their large extended family.

Date: April 16, 2026, 7:00pm
Location: Student Union Theater, San José State Campus