Frank Bonilla

Frank Bonilla (February 3, 1925 – December 28, 2010) was an American academic of Puerto Rican descent who became a leading figure in Puerto Rican Studies. After earning his doctorate from Harvard University, where his dissertation was supervised by Talcott Parsons, he held faculty positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the City University of New York. He was a key figure in the establishment of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Leadership Forum and the Center for Puerto Rico Studies at the City University of New York.

Early life and education Bonilla was born in New York City in 1925.

For 20 years, he directed CUNY's Center for Puerto Rican Studies, where he served as founding director until his retirement in 1995. The award is offered every other year.