Celebrating the Legacy of Mercedes Domenech

Posted on: Nov 24th, 2020

Dear Brown community member,

Please join us in extending best wishes to Mercedes Domenech, who is retiring from the University on January 13, 2021. An esteemed member of the Brown community for over 30 years, Domenech worked in the Office of Admissions and currently serves as Associate Dean of Medicine for Minority Affairs at The Warren Alpert Medical School. Through her work and continued advocacy/mentorship, Domenech has truly enriched the lives of many students—particularly Latinx Brunonians—and their families over multiple generations. She will be sorely missed and impossible to replace. We hope you will join the Brown community for a virtual celebration as we express our appreciation for everything she has done for Latinx students, diversity initiatives, and the entire University.

Tuesday, December 15, 2020
7:00 p.m. EST
RSVP Now
Ever true,

Brown University Latino Alumni Council (BULAC) and Brown’s Office of Alumni Relations

BULAC 2020-22 executive board:
Araceli Méndez Hintermeister ’12
Ivón Rodríguez ’00 EMBA ’16
Guillermo de los Santos EMBA ’20
Rachaell Diaz ’19
Silvina Hernández ’17

P.S. Please read on for her personal message to the Brown community.


Dear Brown family and friends,

I hope you and your families are all doing well during these trying times. The reason for my writing is to share one of the most difficult life decisions I have ever made. After thirty-nine years at Brown, and in a job I have loved tremendously, I have decided to retire. I had always pushed this decision to sometime in the future, and now being faced with the life-altering reality of a pandemic, I finally decided it is time. Deciding to leave my job was incredibly difficult because I have always felt that I have the best job one can have. Helping people to get an education at a great university has been a wonderful experience. Seeing young people grow and become professionals in many different fields is an incredibly rewarding experience. While many of you think that I have been instrumental in your development as students and people, I have to say that you have also been very important in my growth as a professional and a person. I would not be who I am today without all of our shared time. I will cherish your friendship for the rest of my life. It has been such an honor and privilege to be able to share so many experiences with you. I have learned a lot from you and I will always be in awe of your incredible strength and resiliency when things were not easy.

The fact that BULAC named an endowed scholarship in my name is an honor that I had never expected, and the beautiful part about this is that my name will always be linked to the Latinx community that I have always loved and served. For this I will always remain indebted to you. Your generous support of the scholarship is a testament of your affection.

Before I end, I want to tell you that I am healthy and strong and I am planning to be around for many years to come. I hope to keep seeing all of you when you visit campus, I also hope to be around for campus dance and the rest of the commencement festivities. This time has always been the highlight of the year when we would meet again. I am also planning on continuing to mentor students, but on my own time without the constraints of a fixed schedule. I want to have the flexibility to travel more once it is possible, but I plan to remain in RI for years to come. You can always count on me and if I can be of any help, please do not hesitate to ask.

With my deepest affection and gratitude,

Mercedes Domenech
Associate Dean of Medicine for Minority Affairs