TTUHSC’s Castro-Quirino Named to 2023-24 Fellows of HACU’s Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo

• By Suzanna Cisneros
• December 7, 2023
• Education

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) announced Sonya Castro-Quirino, D.Bioethics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) vice president of Office of Institutional Compliance, as one of the 50 fellows who will be part of the fifth cohort of HACU’s Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo. The program is designed to increase diverse representation in executive and senior-level positions in higher education.

Fellows participate in an array of leadership development activities designed to prepare them for leadership roles in the full spectrum of institutions of higher learning, with an emphasis on Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

On February 2022, TTUHSC announced its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. At that time, the university was the third health sciences center in the state of Texas to receive this status. Jody Randall, Ed.D., TTUHSC vice president and chief experience officer, said Castro-Quirino’s appointment to HACU builds on the university’s foundation to enrich the experiences of all underserved populations and train future health care professionals to serve a more diverse population.

“As an executive-level leader, Dr. Castro shapes the impact that TTUHSC has on the lives of our learners, team members and patients,” Randall said. “Through La Academia, Dr. Castro will build on her leadership skills while furthering our commitment to the achievement of our Hispanic community and other underserved populations across TTUHSC and in the communities that we serve.”

The Leadership Academy faculty consists of current and former presidents, chancellors and senior administrators and brings more than 100 years of combined experience in serving various sectors of higher education, including private/public universities, community colleges and faith-based institutions.

Mentorship with a university president or senior-level administrator is a key component, as is the development of a special project designed to have an impact at the fellow’s current institution.

“Our leadership academy fellows have already proven the value of the association’s efforts to increase diverse representation within the upper echelons of higher education by assuming top positions at colleges and universities across the nation,” HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores said. “Students benefit from having leaders from a wide range of backgrounds, and this fifth and largest cohort to date brings a range of professional and life experience that can meet the challenges of our multicultural institutions of higher education.”

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C and Sacramento.