2023 Keynote Speaker
Julieta Villarreal García, Ph.D.
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
Professor, UTRGV Department of Communication
Former President, The University of Texas at Brownsville
Named the first Latina to serve as president of a college or university in the United States in 1986, Dr. García spearheaded the creation of The University of Texas at Brownsville and then served as its president for 22 years graduating over 40,000 students and leading the design and establishment of the Brownsville campus.
During her time as President of UT Brownsville, she led the establishment of the Math & Science Academy, the physics program in gravitational astronomy, biomedical degrees to prepare students for medical school and the chess team that continues to win national acclaim.
She also led the expansion of the campus from 50 to over 400 acres and is responsible for establishing the unique and artistic design of the UT Brownsville campus. During her tenure as president, she was responsible for building a new library, a fine arts center, state-of-the-art science laboratories and classrooms, a recreation center, an innovative childcare center, student housing and inviting courtyards woven in and around the natural ecology of campus resacas to create a park like campus deeply rooted in the social and cultural fabric of South Texas and the border region.
In 2011, she helped lead an effort to envision a new 21st Century University model that eventually consolidated two UT universities, established a medical school, and created The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a medical school. Her life’s work has been focused on expanding higher education opportunities for the people of the Rio Grande Valley.
In Washington D.C., she has served on the Clinton and Obama presidential transition teams, chaired the Advisory Committee to Congress on Financial Aid and in 2021, served on the panel to select White House Fellows under President Biden.
After the election of President Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid, she was selected to work in South Africa to help integrate higher education. She has served on the boards of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.
In 2009, Time magazine named her one of the Top 10 College Presidents in the US and in 2014 she was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. She has received honorary doctorates from Notre Dame, Brown, Smith, and Princeton.
She currently serves on the board for LLILAS, the Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies at UT Austin and Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. Annually, she lectures at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education IEM program for professionals seeking to become university presidents and with HACU – Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Leadership Academy. She is also serving on the board of Texas 2036, a group of Texans studying how best to shape our future in Texas across seven core state policy areas.
On campus, she teaches public speaking and courses in organizational communication and Latinas in Leadership focusing on the key communication skills needed for next generation leaders.
On July 7th of 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe R. Biden for “transforming her hometown University of Texas Brownsville into a center of excellence for countless of students who were inspired by her example. A trailblazer and mentor, Dr. García is considered one of our Nation’s top university administrators who understands the power of education as the great equalizer in America.”
2023 Keynote Speaker
Julieta Villarreal García, Ph.D.
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient; Professor, UTRGV Department of Communication; Former President, The University of Texas at Brownsville
School of Medicine Dean
Michael B. Hocker, M.D., M.H.S.
Dean, UTRGV School of Medicine
Senior Vice President, UT Health RGV
