For immediate release

HACU President and CEO receives Lifetime Achievement Award

LOS ANGELES, California – The editors of Hispanic Business magazine presented Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his career-long championship of Hispanic higher education success.

Under his leadership, HACU has become the nation’s leading voice for the Hispanic higher education community with a membership of more than 350 colleges and universities collectively serving more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students in the United States.

“Dr. Antonio Flores has brought a lifelong passion to the improvement of education,” said Jesus Chavarria, editor and founder of Hispanic Business Inc. Hispanic Business magazine is the award-winning flagship publication of Hispanic Business Inc., which also is the umbrella for online and research information services to the nation’s diverse business communities and decision-makers.

“It should be recognized that Dr. Flores and HACU have been the key players in spearheading programs that give Hispanic students access to post-secondary educational opportunities,” Chavarria said. “I want to congratulate Dr. Flores for his continued advocacy for education, and applaud his lifetime achievement.”

Flores, who is also Chair of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), was honored at special awards ceremonies hosted by Hispanic Business in Los Angeles in late November. He joined Daisy Esposito-Ulla, Chair and CEO of The Bravo Group, who also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Both were cited for their national stature, career achievements and status as national role models.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by the nation’s premier business publication for the Hispanic community. This award belongs to the outstanding leaders of every member college of university of HACU, who daily champion the college and career success of our Hispanic students,” Flores said.

Flores in 1996 became President and Chief Executive Officer of HACU. Named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business and one of the 50 Most Important Hispanics in Business and Technology by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine, he has received numerous awards for his leadership and advocacy for the higher education success of the country’s youngest and largest ethnic population.

Under his leadership, HACU has successfully advocated for record, annual multi-million dollar increases in public- and private-sector support for Hispanic higher education, and for those colleges and universities serving the largest concentrations of Hispanic higher education students in 26 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. He has also presided over a fast-growing international membership representing leading higher education institutions throughout the Americas and in Spain.

Flores is a frequent speaker in the United States and abroad on education, workforce development, public policy, immigration and other issues of importance to the U.S. and global Hispanic communities. Under his leadership, the HACU National Internship Program has become the largest Hispanic college student internship program in the country. He also is chair of the national ¡Adelante! Educational Leadership and Scholarship Fund.

He serves on the boards of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, Teach for America, and the American Hospital Association’s National Commission on the Workforce. He is a leader and co-founder of the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education, the nation’s first unified voice for all minority-serving higher education institutions. He is a member of numerous national associations, including the American Association for Higher Education and the American Educational Research Association.

Flores holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a Master of Arts degree in counseling and personnel from Western Michigan University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico and a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Centro Normal Regional in Mexico.

For more information, contact the Office of the President at HACU national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, at (210) 692-3805. Ext. 3214. Or visit www.hacu.net.