Excelencia in Education Elects Robert Vela to Board of Directors

Dr. Robert Vela, President of San Antonio College, was unanimously elected to the Excelencia in Education Board of Directors in October 2021. He brings over 20 years in higher education administration and a wealth of experience as a civic leader to the Board.

As President of San Antonio College, he leads one of the largest single-campus community colleges in Texas, and one of the biggest in the nation. San Antonio College is part of the Alamo Colleges District, which is made up of five distinct colleges. San Antonio College was selected as the winner of the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. Vela’s institution is the first community college in Texas to win the award.

Throughout Vela’s career, his focus has been to use his work as an opportunity to ensure every student who seeks an education is given ample opportunities to be successful. Excelencia is focused on ensuring America’s future by increasing Latino college completion and workforce success.

He joins a distinguished group of leaders serving on the Excelencia Board of Directors:

• Sarita Brown of Washington, DC, President of Excelencia in Education
• John C. Cavanaugh of Chapel Hill, NC, Previous President and CEO, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
• Marie Therese Dominguez of New York, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation
• Audrey Dow of Hacienda Heights, CA, Senior Vice President, Campaign for College Opportunity
• Maria Harper-Marinick of Tempe, AZ, Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute
• Martha Kanter of Washington, DC, Executive Director of College Promise Campaign
• Arturo Madrid, of San Antonio, TX, Murchison Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Trinity University
• Juan Sánchez Muñoz, of Merced, CA, Chancellor of University of California-Merced
• William Serrata of El Paso, TX, President of El Paso Community College

About Excelencia in Education
Excelencia in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, and advancing institutional practices while collaborating with those committed and ready to meet the mission. Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia has established a network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. For more information, visit: http://www.edexcelencia.org/

–SAC–