Educator Day Speakers
Marcy Martinez
Action 4 News
Marcy is a product of the Rio Grande Valley, having been born and raised in Harlingen. This contributes to her unique connection to the community because as she puts it, “We’re all one big family.”
Marcy graduated with Honors from Harlingen High School South in 1996 and went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Texas A & M University Kingsville. Right out of college, Marcy came home and jumped into the morning anchor seat at KGBT.
Within the following years, she moved from mornings to evenings and has not only been a local fixture on the news desk, but takes every opportunity to get out in the field to report on breaking news stories and issues important to her community. During her nearly 12 years with Action 4 News, Marcy has covered all sorts of interesting stories ranging from hurricanes to President Bush’s visit and the onslaught of presidential candidate appearances that followed.
Marcy was among the mass crowds outside the Nation’s Capital in Washington, DC as President Barack Obama was sworn into office in 2009 and was able to relay her experience to KGBT-TV viewers watching from home. Marcy has been named Texas A&M University Kingsville’s Alumna of the Year, Rising Star, and served as commencement speaker for graduation.
She currently serves as a board member of the Javelina Alumni Association and has been featured in commercials promoting the university. Marcy takes every opportunity to promote education so don’t be surprised if you see her at a local school reading to kids or giving graduating Seniors some advice for their college future.
Marcy says there’s no place on earth she’d rather be reporting the news than right here in the Rio Grande Valley where she can make a difference in the lives of people she considers family.
Dr. Patricia McHatton
Dean, College of Education and P16 Integration
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Dr. Patricia M. Alvarez McHatton earned a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in special education and urban education. She is the Dean of the College of Education and P-16 Integration at the University of Texas RIO Grande Valley. Dr. Alvarez McHatton has served in multiple capacities throughout her tenure in higher education including program coordinator at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of South Florida, chair of the inclusive education department at Kennesaw State University, and associate dean for teacher education at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Her research interests include diversity in education, teacher preparation with an emphasis on preparing culturally competent educators, collaboration, and school experiences of diverse youth and families. Dr. Alvarez McHatton’s work centers on school-university-community partnerships. She has served in leadership roles, both nationally and internationally, including as President for both the Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners (DDEL) and the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).
Cornelio Gonzalez, Ph. D
Executive Director
ESC Region One
Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez’s career in Texas education started in Brownsville ISD where he served as English as a Second Language and English teacher at Simon Rivera H.S. He became Assistant Principal of Gladys Porter H.S. and later served as Dean of Instruction at the same campus. In 1999 he was admitted to the prestigious Cooperative Superintendency Program of the University of Texas at Austin where he obtained his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in 2001. He served as Education Specialist in the Migrant Department of the Texas Education Agency and was a member of the U.S.-Mexico Bi-national Migrant Education Program. Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez has been a speaker at several regional, state, national and international conferences sharing the findings of his research on the process of incorporation of immigrant students into life in the United States. He has served as Superintendent of Schools at Lasara ISD in Willacy County, Tuloso-Midway ISD in Corpus Christi and Mission CISD in the City of Mission, Texas. Dr. Cornelio Gonzalez is now serving as the Executive Director of the Region One Education Service Center where he hopes to utilize the experiences accumulated over 24 years of service to provide support, encouragement and assistance to all the school districts and charter schools in the Region One area.
Alejandra Ceja
Executive Director
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
Alejandra Ceja was appointed by the White House on May 6, 2013, to serve the president and secretary of education as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
As America's largest and fastest-growing minority group, Latinos represent more than 11 million students in U.S. public schools, constituting more than 22 percent of all pre-K–12 students. Ceja will work closely with the Latino community and the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics to implement the goals and deliverables under Executive Order 13555, by which President Barack Obama renewed the initiative, and better align the work of the initiative with the Department's cradle-to-career agenda.
For the three-and-one-half years prior to assuming this position, Ceja served as the chief of staff to Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter. In that role, Ceja was instrumental in managing the under secretary's personnel, budget and associated operations, including the operations of six White House initiatives, to support the president's 2020 goal, what Secretary of Education Duncan calls the nation's "North Star": The United States will attain the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.
Prior to joining the Department, Ceja served as the senior budget and appropriations advisor for the House Committee on Education and Labor, chaired by Congressman George Miller. There, she drafted legislation in support of national service reauthorization—the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act—and worked on policy issues related to child nutrition, English language learners, migrants, Impact Aid and appropriations. From 1999 to 2007, Ceja was a program examiner for the White House Office of Management and Budget, where she helped formulate the federal budget for the Department of Labor and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Ceja has also worked for the Indianapolis Private Industry Council and with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard in her Washington, D.C., office.
A native of Huntington Park, Calif., Ceja holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles, and a master's degree in public administration from Baruch College at the City University of New York. She is a graduate of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's Public Policy Fellowship, the Presidential Management Fellows program, the National Hispana Leadership Institute and the National Urban Fellows program.
Rosendo Cruz
Public and Governmental Relations
ExxonMobil
A native of McAllen, Texas, Mr. Cruz earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin before joining Exxon Company, U.S.A. in 1992 as a Project Engineer. He completed an MBA in Management and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1997. Mr. Cruz is married to Kathryn Cruz and has three children, Austin, Andrea, and Dylan and resides in Irving, Texas.
Mr. Cruz has been employed by ExxonMobil for more than 16 years and is currently a Program Officer for education and diversity. He coordinates community investment activities and manages education and diversity contributions programs. These programs include initiatives that foster the improvement of learning and teaching in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and improving career opportunities for women and minorities. He serves on boards and advisory committees of organizations such as National Society of Hispanic MBA's, United Way, LULAC, and Leadership Fairfax. He is active within the Company and is a Officer for GOAL, the Global Organization for the Advancement of Latinos, and a United Way representative.
Mr. Cruz has worked in various assignments throughout his 16 year career. He began as a Project Engineer for Exxon Company USA in 1992 in Houston, Texas. In 1997, he was named Supply Negotiator managing activities in the Northeast US. He later served as a Business Development Manager in ExxonMobil's Refining and Supply Company in 2000 and was relocated to Fairfax, Virginia. While in Fairfax, he was named a Government Relations Manager in Exxon Mobil Corporation's Public Affairs Department in 2003. In 2005, Mr. Cruz was named Manager of ExxonMobil Pipeline Company's Everett, Massachusetts distribution plant and was relocated to Boston.
Faridodin "Fredi" Lajvardi
Program Manager, Marine Science Magnet Program
Carl Hayden High School
Faridodin "Fredi" Lajvardi is the program manager for the Marine Science Magnet Program at Carl Hayden High School. He has been teaching at Carl Hayden H.S. for 28 years where he leads the Falcon Robotics Team, an extracurricular STEM program that has received national and worldwide recognition. In 2004, the team had its break out moment when students from the robotics team went to the MATE National ROV Championships in Santa Barbara, California and came back as national champions in a competition that some said they had no business even being in. One of the competitors was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Carl Hayden team has gone on to win other national competitions in the field of robotics. His team has been featured in Wired magazine, Reader’s Digest, ABC Nightline and on Soledad O’Brien’s CNN In America series. Three films about the team, Underwater DREAMS, a critically acclaimed documentary, Spare Parts, a Hollywood feature film produced by Lionsgate, and the latest, an IMAX film titled Dream Big by MacGillivray Freeman Films, captures the story in three distinct ways! Mr. Lajvardi’s team has inspired many other teams in Arizona and beyond. Falcon Robotics has revolutionized STEM education at Carl Hayden High School and has dramatically increased the number of students going into engineering and technical fields. Mr. Lajvardi believes that every high school should have an extracurricular STEM program to help reverse the science, math and technology deficit that exists in Arizona and the United States. By showing the youth of today that hard work and determination in STEM fields can be fun, exciting and rewarding, this deficit reduction can be achieved.
Dr. Murad Odeh
Associate Professor and Chair
Biology Department
South Texas College
Dr. Murad Odeh graduated with a Master of Science in Molecular Biology in 1993. Shortly after, Dr. Odeh joined the Biology Department at Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was awarded a Doctorate Degree (Ph.D.) in Microbiology in 1998. His doctoral research was focused on protein-DNA interactions in Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase. After graduation, he joined the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge Louisiana as a Post Doctorate where he conducted research on DNA Repair Mechanisms. Dr. Odeh joined the Biology Department at South Texas College in 1999 as a full time faculty. He quickly came to love the challenges and rewards of working with new students. He has taught several courses including Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology and General biology for Science and non-science majors. During these years, he has taught a variety of class modalities ranging from fully online to hybrids, to face-to face- classes. Currently, Dr. Odeh is the chair of the Biology Department at STC. He assumed the responsibility of this position in Fall 2014 and elected to the position of the President of the Council of Chairs in 2015.His hobbies include healthy cooking, watching movies, exercising, and traveling. My favorite quotation is "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
Student Leadership Day Speakers
Letty Garza
Channel 5 News
Letty Garza was born and raised in McAllen. She graduated from Pan American University with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1983. She is also a 1978 McAllen High School graduate. Letty started her career at CHANNEL 5 NEWS as an intern in 1982 and worked her way up to become one of CHANNEL 5 NEWS's first female Hispanic news anchors here in the Valley. Letty was instrumental in creating the first and most successful morning news program in the Valley. She also anchored the weekend newscast followed by the 5, 6, and 10 o'clock newscasts from the 1980s all the way to the mid-90s. After the birth of her daughter, Talisa Marie McVea, Letty made a career change and worked for the U.S. Border Patrol as McAllen sector's first Public Information Officer in 1994. She continued her work with her Wednesday's Child program with CHANNEL 5 NEWS from 1994 until she returned to CHANNEL 5 NEWS in March of 2000. Letty now anchors two full newscasts Monday through Friday: CHANNEL 5 NEWS at 6 and CHANNEL 5 NEWS at 10. Letty is married to Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Reynaldo Manuel Garza, who oversees 1,800 agents and support personnel responsible for 19 South Texas counties. As mentioned earlier, Letty is the proud mother of Talisa Marie McVea. Letty says, "I understand that people depend on my years of experiences a journalist for dependable and accurate information on a day-to-day basis. I want my Valley to know just how proud I am, not only to represent CHANNEL 5 NEWS as a team leader, but as a reliable and responsible person...that my mother, Marina, always said I would be, in her words: 'Mijita, eres muy responsable, y por eso seguiste adelante.'"
Luis Alcantara
Vice President Production Engineering
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA)
Georgetown, KY
Luis Alcantara is Vice President of Production Engineering for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) located at the Georgetown, KY, Production Engineering Center. He is responsible for new vehicle introductions across Toyota’s North American Vehicle assembly plants. He and his team manage new vehicle process planning, equipment procurement, construction and installation, including safety, quality and productivity confirmation prior to handover to manufacturing operations. Luis previously served as General Manager of the Body Weld and Stamping Departments at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (TMMI).
Alcantara joined Toyota in 1991 and has spent the majority of his career in the Body Engineering group but he has also held engineering positions in Paint, Plastics and Stamping. Starting as an engineering specialist, Luis rose thru the managerial ranks in Body Engineering serving as Assistant Manager, Manager, Assistant General Manager and General Manager from 2001 – 2012 when he moved into manufacturing management. He was promoted to his current position in July 2015.
A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Alcantara immigrated to the United States at the age of four with his family and settled in Miami, Fla. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University and resides in Edgewood, KY, with his wife and three children.
Albert Manero
Engineer & Founder
Limbitless Solutions
As a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, Fulbright Scholar Albert Manero heard a radio interview with the man who invented the first 3D-printed artificial hand. Inspired by the process, he went to the aerospace research lab on the UCF campus and learned how to design low-cost prosthetic limbs that could be delivered to children in unique and surprising ways. A year later, the company known as Limbitless Solutions was delivering a prosthetic arm to a Florida child born without an elbow. As the process became more refined, and media interest in 3D printing grew, Manero and his team of fellow students started collaborating with other companies to help realize their vision. In one very special case, Robert Downey Jr. was enlisted through Microsoft OneNote and The Collective Project to present a Limbitless-designed prosthetic to a congenitally deformed youth named Al ex, who dreamed of having a bionic arm like the one worn by Downey in the Iron Man movies.
Manero's vision is a heartwarming case study in innovation and entrepreneurship for the modern age, using cutting-edge technology as a means of giving back to communities in need — in this case the children of families who cannot afford traditional prosthetic limbs that cost upwards of $40,000. Employing additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, a layering process in which everyday items are printed out in strips to form low-cost personalized bionics, Manero launched a non-profit organization comprised of innovators who use their skills and passion to improve the world around them. Staffed by volunteers, many of whom are students like Manero himself, and funded primarily through outside investment and private donations, Limbitless currently manufactures prosthetics with a low material cost of $350 per limb.
Central to the groundbreaking Limbitless business model — the company gives away limbs to children and families in need; next year it will donate 75 arms to displaced Syrian children — is Manero's steadfast determination to employ science and technology as tools for helping and inspiring people across the globe. Through his work he aims to reshape the scientific realm by infusing art and aesthetics into an area typically viewed as "cold" or dehumanizing. Expanding the familiar STEM acronym (academic shorthand for science, technology, engineering and math) to include A for art, Manero created Limbitless in the spirit of STEAM — the nexus of art and science where storytelling and engineering function seamlessly as a unified whole. Nothing less than innovation with compassion, employing design imbued with scientific purpose, Limbitless serves as a bold reminder of what technology can achieve through a singular vision and charitable spirit.
Through rousing, thought-provoking presentations tailored to groups and organizations at the corporate and grass-roots level, Manero and members of his team, including videographer Katie Manero, Director of Production Dominique Courbin and Director of Resource Management Tyler Petresky, recount the stories that made Limbitless one of technology's most fascinating companies. In keynote speeches and customized talks, the team recounts how an innovative idea became an affordable alternative to pricy, difficult-to-obtain bionic prosthetics. In addition they share some of the heartwarming stories of how a group of entrepreneurial volunteers working at the community level succeeded in providing children with better lives, improved confidence and what Limbitless calls "3D hope" — the idea that technological innovation can serve as a force for good in the world. For every speaking engagement, the Limbitless team will allocate a portion of its fees to creating more limbs for children in need.
Norma Ortiz McCormick
Coordinator
Ready, Set, College! Partnership
Region One ESC
Norma Ortiz McCormick has been a professional educator for a period of 20 years and has served in various capacities. As a coordinator for the Ready, Set, College! Partnership, Ms. McCormick is charged with the responsibility of providing leadership at a project level where she, along with her director, Tina Atkins, work on ensuring that students, parents and stakeholders are provided with the support and leadership needed to transform schools into college-going communities. The GEAR UP program focuses on providing higher education access to underrepresented and underserved students.
As an education specialist with Region GEAR UP for a period of seven years, she collaborated and provided leadership to the GEAR UP team on Counselor's academies, direct services to parents and other related services and has served as a liaison between the project and evaluator to ensure that all areas needed for the Annual Performance Report were accurately documented and reported to the United States Department of Education.
As a GEAR UP facilitator at the campus level for a period of 5 years, Ms. McCormick provided leadership regarding all of the areas of the GEAR UP Partnership and ensured that all initiatives were implemented well. Ms. McCormick earned her high school diploma from McAllen Memorial High School where she graduated with honors and continued at the University of Texas-Pan American where she earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in Special Education. She earned a Master's in Counseling and Guidance with Magna Cum Laude distinction from the University of Texas Pan American.
It is her belief that all children can achieve their post-secondary education goals when the necessary tools and support systems are provided.
Mario J. Morin, M.S.
Chair
Mathematics Department
South Texas College
University of Texas – Pan American Edinburg, TX Mathematics B.S. 2000
University of Texas – Pan American Edinburg, TX Mathematical Science M.S. 2003
b. Appointments
c. Related Products
d. Synergistic Activities
- Design, organization and facilitation of active-learning professional development program at South Texas College based on the Common Instructional Framework (CIF) employed by Early College High Schools. The design of the program is meant to create a continuum at the college level for students who have experienced active learning strategies in high school. 2011-2013
- Lead faculty for the implementation of the New Mathways Project (NMP) at South Texas College. This program created a non-STEM mathematics pathway for students beginning in Developmental Mathematics courses. Four primary pathways exist: Math for Liberal Arts (Contemporary Mathematics), Social Sciences & Medical Health Sciences/Nursing (Statistics), Business programs (Finite Mathematics) and the STEM pathway (College Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus track). 2010 – present
- Currently serving the Executive Board of the Texas Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (TexMATYC – a regional affiliate of the American Mathematics Association of Two Colleges, AMATYC) as Affiliate Delegate. 2014 - present
- Currently serving on the Executive Board of the Rio Grande Valley Council for Teachers of Mathematics (RGVCTM – a regional affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, NCTM) as the community college liaison. 2015 – present
- Principal Investigator of a Teacher Quality grant (funded by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin) to provide training for 26 high school teachers in Precalculus pedagogy as well as training to incorporate technology into the classroom (TI-84 calculators and Maple software). 2005
Latina Day Speakers
Tania Leal
Weather Anchor
KTML Telemundo 40
Tania Leal es Presentadora de El Tiempo para Noticias Telemundo 40, el noticiero que se transmite a las 4:00 PM, 4:30 PM y 10 PM por Telemundo 40 Rio Grande Valley / KTLM, la estacin local que sirve la comunidad de habla hispana en el Valle del Rio Grande. Tania se unió a Telemundo 40 en el 2015.
Anteriormente, Tania trabajó para Televisa Noreste desempeñándose como presentadora del tiempo.
Leal obtuvo su licenciatura en Biología y un asociado en Leyes de la Universidad de Brownsville en Texas/Texas Southmost College.
Patricia "Pat" Metcalf
Area Manager
ExxonMobil
Background
- Born in Laredo, Texas to Frank and Reina Sarabia
- Of Mexican / Spanish descent, Pat is first person in her family to receive an engineering degree
Education
- BS Civil Engineering University of Texas 1985
- MBA Rice University 2003
Career
- Joined Exxon Company USA in 1985
- First 15 years of career were in Fuels Marketing
- First assignment was as Construction and Maintenance Engineer. Pat set a construction record of 14 days for building a retail store when the national average time was 60 days.
- Other roles in Fuels included: Environmental Engineering, Territory Manager, Distribution Analyst, and Jet Fuel Pricing Lead.
- In January 2000, Pat moved to Gas & Power Marketing
- Her first role was as a transportation negotiator and then moved through various assignments including Business Analyst, Advisor to Asia Pacific and Power Vice President, and Commercial Advisor for all commercial negotiators worldwide.
- Pat began supporting ExxonMobil’s Public Affairs group by speaking to middle school girls at HESTEC.
- She initiated the development of GOAL, the Global Organization for the Advancement of Latinos Houston Chapter in 2006, served as the organization’s first chapter President and is on the Advisory Board.
- In February 2007, Pat moved to ExxonMobil Development Company
- She has worked as a Construction Supervisor, Business Manager for Russian and Canadian Projects, as an Area Manager, and currently as Technical Manager on Alaska LNG
Rosa Flores
Correspondent
CNN
Rosa Flores is a CNN correspondent based in Chicago, covering domestic and international news stories.
Flores covered Pope Francis, from the papal plane, during his visit to the United States, Cuba and Mexico. She also traveled to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay to cover Francis’ visit to South America. Flores covered President Obama's visit to Argentina and also his attendance to the Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama, which included the historic handshake between the US and Cuba after more than half a century of cold war rivalry.
Most recently, Flores traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to cover the lead up to the Rio Olympics. She also covers international breaking news stories including the explosion of a Mexico City maternity hospital, the detention of five Syrians in Honduras traveling with fake passports and the influx of unaccompanied minors across the US southern border.
Flores joined CNN in 2013. She was based in New York City for two years. Before joining CNN, she anchored the 4pm newscast at WBRZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Baton Rouge. Prior to moving to Louisiana’s capital city, Flores covered enterprise and breaking news stories at WDSU-TV, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans. Her reporting included extensive coverage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to that, she reported for KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston and KWTV-TV in Oklahoma City.
She earned a Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, Bachelor’s degree in business administration, and Master’s degree in accounting at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Monica Regalbuto
Assistant Secretary
Office of Environmental Management
U.S. Department of Energy
Dr. Monica Regalbuto was named Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM) in August 2015. In this role, Dr. Regalbuto provides the leadership necessary to continue the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from five decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.
Prior to serving as Assistant Secretary, Dr. Regalbuto served as EM’s Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. In that role, she applied her deep technical expertise to reduce technical risk and uncertainty in EM’s cleanup mission across the DOE complex.
Dr. Regalbuto previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fuel Cycle Technologies in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, overseeing the development of the nation’s nuclear fuel cycle. In that position, she directed a research and development program comprising 10 national laboratories, 32 universities, over 400 scientists, and 300 professors. Dr. Regalbuto also has experience supporting EM as Senior Program Manager in the former Office of Waste Processing, overseeing technical risk reduction in the cleanup programs.
From 2003 to 2008, Dr. Regalbuto managed a group of 30 researchers as head of the Process Chemistry and Engineering Department in Argonne National Laboratory’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division. Argonne — part of DOE’s network of national laboratories — was where Dr. Regalbuto began her career in 1988. There, she helped develop technologies for the treatment of high-level waste at DOE plutonium production sites. As a researcher, she made key contributions to nuclear fuel-cycle technology, including the development of the UREX+ processes, a suite of solvent extraction processes for the recovery of actinides and fission products from spent fuel. Dr. Regalbuto also led research directly related to EM’s mission, such as the successful demonstration of the Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction process that separates cesium-137 from high-level radioactive waste. Dr. Regalbuto has authored multiple journal articles and reports and holds six patents.
Dr. Regalbuto received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Mexican Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, and master’s and doctorate degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Sara Martinez Tucker
UT System Regent
SARA MARTINEZ TUCKER, Dallas, Texas, was appointed to a six-year term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Greg Abbott in January 2015 and was confirmed by the Texas Senate on March 11, 2015. Regent Tucker serves on the Academic Affairs Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee, the Health Affairs Committee, and the Technology Transfer and Research Committee. She also serves on the Special Advisory Committee on the Brackenridge Tract.
She was Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, nominated as the nation's top higher education official by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As Under Secretary, she oversaw all policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid.
In addition to the successful oversight of over $32 billion in disbursed appropriations and more than 5,500 discretionary awards, Tucker provided expert testimony before Congressional committees and special hearings, led policy discussions within the Administration and with trade associations, and led or represented the United States in international delegations.
Tucker led the development and implementation of two signature programs to increase access to college: a joint initiative with the U.S. Treasury Department to make nearly $70 billion in 2008-09 federal student loans available during the nation’s financial crisis, an effort described by the Wall Street Journal as “one bright spot in a season of crises and bailouts,” and an innovative new website, college.gov, which helps students and families prepare for college. College.gov received Computerworld’s Laureate Medal for exceptional use of technology to better society.
Prior to joining the Department, Tucker worked for nine years as the CEO and president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), where she pursued an aggressive goal to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees. In her time at the helm of HSF, Tucker raised $280 million for scholarships, growing annual scholarships from $3 million to over $25 million, and launching community outreach programs to raise college expectations in Latino families and communities.
Prior to joining HSF, Tucker spent 16 years at AT&T. In her last assignment at the company, she served as a regional vice president for AT&T's Global Business Communications Systems. She also served as Vice President for Consumer Operations, leading its 6,500 employees in serving AT&T's 80 million consumers. Under her leadership, this group helped its division earn the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award.
Born and raised in Laredo, Texas, she earned her bachelor's degree in journalism at The University of Texas at Austin. She worked as a reporter for the San Antonio Express News before returning to U. T. Austin to earn her master's in business administration. Tucker has been named as an Outstanding Young Texas Ex and a Distinguished Alumna at U. T. Austin and has received honorary doctorates from the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, and the University of Maryland University College.
She serves on the Boards of Directors of American Electric Power, Sprint, and Xerox. Tucker also serves on the University of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees.
Tucker and her husband, Greg, a management consultant, live in Dallas.
Dr. Enriqueta Cortez
Physical Science Department South Texas College
Dr. Enriqueta Cortez attended St. Edward’s University (SEU) in Austin, TX, as a recipient of a College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) scholarship. She received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from SEU in 1988. Dr. Cortez continued with her studies in Chemistry at Texas A&M University--College Station where she earned a PhD in Chemistry in 1994. While in graduate school Dr. Cortez was given the opportunity to study at the University of Antwerp in Belgium for a semester. After graduate school, Dr. Cortez worked as an analytical chemist for Monsanto/Pharmacia/Pfizer in St. Louis, Missouri for approximately six years before joining South Texas College as a Chemistry Instructor in 2001. Dr. Cortez has served as program chair for the Physical Science Department since 2008. Her responsibilities include overseeing the Astronomy, Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, Pre-Pharmacy, and Physics programs.
Norma Ortiz McCormick
Coordinator
Ready, Set, College! Partnership
Region One ESC
Norma Ortiz McCormick has been a professional educator for a period of 20 years and has served in various capacities. As a coordinator for the Ready, Set, College! Partnership, Ms. McCormick is charged with the responsibility of providing leadership at a project level where she, along with her director, Tina Atkins, work on ensuring that students, parents and stakeholders are provided with the support and leadership needed to transform schools into college-going communities. The GEAR UP program focuses on providing higher education access to underrepresented and underserved students.
As an education specialist with Region GEAR UP for a period of seven years, she collaborated and provided leadership to the GEAR UP team on Counselor's academies, direct services to parents and other related services and has served as a liaison between the project and evaluator to ensure that all areas needed for the Annual Performance Report were accurately documented and reported to the United States Department of Education.
As a GEAR UP facilitator at the campus level for a period of 5 years, Ms. McCormick provided leadership regarding all of the areas of the GEAR UP Partnership and ensured that all initiatives were implemented well. Ms. McCormick earned her high school diploma from McAllen Memorial High School where she graduated with honors and continued at the University of Texas-Pan American where she earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in Special Education. She earned a Master's in Counseling and Guidance with Magna Cum Laude distinction from the University of Texas Pan American.
It is her belief that all children can achieve their post-secondary education goals when the necessary tools and support systems are provided.
Robotics Day
Tim Smith
Chief Meteorologist
CHANNEL 5 NEWS
Chief Meteorologist Tim Smith has been part of the CHANNEL 5 NEWS team for more than 30 years. A native of Batesville, Indiana and graduate of Indiana University, Tim worked at several radio stations in Indiana before heading for Texas in 1981. His first job at CHANNEL 5 NEWS was as Weekend Weathercaster working under the tutelage of the late Lee Lindsey. Tim quickly fell in love with the Valley's weather. Not just forecasting it, but enjoying it, like everyone else. He was promoted to Chief Forecaster in 1983, a position he's held since. Along the way, Tim has continued his meteorology education taking classes from Penn State University, Weatherscan School of Broadcast Meteorology, and Mississippi State University.
In August 2004, Tim completed Mississippi State's Broadcast Meteorology Program. He got straight A's and was one of only three students to accomplish that feat. That diploma changed Tim's title from Chief Forecaster to Chief Meteorologist. Tim has led CHANNEL 5 NEWS's weather coverage through hurricanes, tornadoes, freezes and even that rare Christmas 2004 snowstorm. "It was just an incredible blessing to see so many people getting to see snow for the very first time in their lives...and to have it happen on Christmas...what a miracle," Tim said, following the big event.
Tim has always been very active in the community. He visits with thousands of school children each year making presentations about weather. For more than ten years, his "Kids You Should Know" feature, highlighted one of the special young people of our community. Tim is a regular on the civic organization speaking circuit. Of course, his "Tim's Coats" project has helped bring in more than 100,000 coats for the less fortunate of the Valley over the last 20 years. Along with Letty Garza and the Channel 5 Toy Drive, Tim delivers Christmas gifts to every child in every hospital in the Valley during the Christmas season.
Tim has served on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, the Hidalgo County Fatherhood Initiative, and the Rio Grande Valley Emergency Management Coordinating Council. He also served as chairman of the UTPA Nursing Advisory Council. Tim is a member of the Edinburg Rotary Club and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Urban Science Initiative, and the International Museum of Art & Science.
Among his many awards and honors, Tim has been named the Easter Seal Society's Volunteer of the Year, he received the Hispanic Excellence Award from Kenneth White Junior High in Mission and the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Texas - Pan American. He is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, has received the National Association of Social Workers Texas Media Award and the Texas Classroom Teachers Association Silver Apple Award. The Texas Associated Press Broadcasters have called Tim's weathercasts "The Best in Texas." Tim and his wife Nora have three children, Justin, Maya and Taylor and one beautiful grandchild.
Joseph Martínez
Weather Anchor
Noticias Telemundo
Joseph Martínez trabaja como Presentador del Tiempo para Noticias Telemundo 40 fin de semana, el cual se transmite a las 4:30 PM y 10 PM por Telemundo 40 Rio Grande Valley / KTLM, la estación local que sirve la comunidad de habla hispana en el Valle del Rio Grande.
Como parte del equipo de Noticias Telemundo 40 fin de semana, Martínez reporta las noticias del Tiempo y de más importancia para los televidentes en el Valle de Texas. Joseph se unió a Telemundo 40 en enero de 2016.
Antes de incorporarse a Telemundo 40, Martínez realizó su internado en meteorología en WIPR- Puerto Rico TV. Además, Martínez hizo investigaciones climatológicas en el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología de la ciudad de Brownsville, Texas.
Martínez obtuvo su licenciatura en Matemáticas en la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Mayagüez, donde también tomó cursos de meteorología. Actualmente se prepara para obtener su certificación como Meteorólogo con la Universidad de Mississippi State.