Dale Erquiaga is an author currently exploring his family’s 100-year history in Nevada. In 2023, he retired from a long career in public service. The only person in Nevada history to serve as both state superintendent of public instruction and chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Dale was also the national president and CEO of Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest and most effective dropout prevention organization.
Other positions in government include service as senior advisor chief strategy officer for Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval; executive director of government affairs, public policy, and strategic planning for the Clark County School District; director of the Nevada Department of Museums, Library & Arts; and Nevada’s chief deputy secretary of state. Erquiaga’s private sector experience includes operating his own consulting firm and working in both Nevada and Arizona as vice president and managing director of a large advertising and public relations firm.
The grandson of Spanish Basque immigrants, Erquiaga holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University. His first novel, Three Wives’ Tales, won the 2020 Basque Writing Contest sponsored by the University of Nevada, Reno Center for Basque Studies. His second novel, A Soldier’s Road, is now in circulation. He is the proud father of two and grandfather of six. He resides in Northern Nevada with his dog, Ezra.