For immediate release

HACU President and CEO named
National Educational Leader of the Year

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The editors of Hispanic Journal magazine named Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), National Educational Leader of the Year in the latest issue of the magazine.

The award-winning national magazine featured Flores on the cover of its special edition on Hispanic higher education, and included in the issue a profile of the HACU leader and an extensive article on the work and outreach of HACU.

HACU, the nation’s leading voice for Hispanic higher education, represents more than 350 colleges and universities that collectively serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students in the United States. The national nonprofit association, with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, and additional offices in Washington, D.C., also represents a fast-growing international membership of leading higher education institutions throughout Latin America and in Spain.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized by Hispanic Journal. My achievements at HACU would not have been possible without the incredible dedication of our staff and the leadership of our member higher education institutions at the forefront of every substantial effort to enhance the college and career success of our country’s youngest and largest ethnic population,” Flores said.

“It is a special honor to be recognized by a national magazine that states on its cover, ‘Dedicated to Hispanics Achieving the American Dream.’ HACU, too, is dedicated to helping Hispanics achieve the American Dream through our ongoing advocacy for higher education access, equity and success for the country’s fastest-growing college-age population,” Flores said.

Flores became President and Chief Executive Officer of HACU in 1996. 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 recently was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the editors of Hispanic Business magazine, who cited his career achievements and “lifelong passion to the improvement of education.” He also has been 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.

Flores, who also is Chair of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), 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.