Past Speakers & Presenters

	Ms. Hilda Solis Secretary of Labor United States Department of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis was confirmed as Secretary of Labor on February 24, 2009. Prior to confirmation as Secretary of Labor, Secretary Solis represented the 32nd Congressional District in California, a position she held from 2001 - 2009. In the Congress, Solis priorities included expanding access to affordable health care, protecting the environment, and improving the lives of working families. A recognized leader on clean energy jobs, she authored the Green Jobs Act which provided funding... Read More!
	Congressman Henry Cuellar U.S. Congressman (TX-28) The Wall Street Journal calls him, "A pro-growth member in the John F. Kennedy mold," one of the "Seven Best Legislators," writes The Dallas Morning News. A favorite son of Laredo, the city has honored him as "Laredoan of the Year," "Distinguished Citizen of the Year," and "Humanitarian of the Year." The San Antonio Express-News says, "Cuellar has worked hard and demonstrated an independent nonpartisan mind-set..." and also notes that "Cuellar's willingness to place his district ... Read More!
	Admiral Mark Ferguson Vice Chief of Naval Operations Navy Following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1978, Adm. Ferguson completed nuclear power training prior to entering the fleet as a surface warfare officer. His afloat assignments include service on board USS South Carolina (CGN 37), USS Fife (DD 991) and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). He commanded the USS Benfold (DDG 65) and Destroyer Squadron 18. In addition to various staff assignments, he served as a Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, i... Read More!
	Mr. Albert Garcia III Deputy Commander Civil Engineer Corps Rear Admiral Albert Garcia was commissioned as an ensign, Civil Engineer Corps, U.S. Navy, from the Naval ROTC program at the University of Missouri-Columbia on May 14, 1977. After completing the Civil Engineer Corps Officer School, Basic, he reported to Naval Station Rota, Spain, as the activity civil engineer in the Public Works Department. While at Rota he was later reassigned as the shops engineer and military division officer. In February 1980 Garcia was transferred to western divisions... Read More!
	Mr. Mark Guadagnini Chief Naval Air Training Rear Admiral Guadagnini graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980, earning a Bachelor of Science in Economics. After a brief tour with the Navy Fighter Weapons School, he entered flight training and earning his wings in 1982. Operationally, he has served as a division officer in VA-65, on the staff of Carrier Air Wing 8 as head landing signal officer and strike operations officer, as head of the Safety and Maintenance Departments in VA-65 and as operations officer for Ca... Read More!
	Mr. Samuel Perez Deputy Director Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South A native of El Paso, Texas, Rear Admiral Perez graduated from the United States Naval Academy on May 28, 1980. At sea, Perez served as electrical officer and main propulsion assistant aboard the USS Paul F. Foster (DD 964), operations officer aboard USS Knox (FF 1052) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52). His three at sea commands include command of USS Reclaimer (ARS 42), command of USS Vincennes (CG 49) and command of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15. While in command of DESRON 15, Perez deployed DES... Read More!
	Mr. David Roberts Executive Vice President Marathon Oil David E. Roberts, Jr., is executive vice president of worldwide upstream operations for Marathon Oil Corporation, a position he has held since 2008. Mr. Roberts joined Marathon in 2006 as senior vice president of business development. He previously served as executive vice president/managing director for BG Group with responsibility for Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining BG, he served as advisor to the vice chairman of ChevronTexaco Corporation (now Chevron Corporation) from 2001... Read More!
	Dr. Subra Suresh Director National Science Foundation Subra Suresh, distinguished engineer and professor, was nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in September 2010. As director of this $7-billion independent federal agency since October 2010, he leads the only government science agency charged with advancing all fields of fundamental science and engineering research and related education. NSF's programs and initiatives keep the United States at the... Read More!
	Mrs. Lupe Alcala Director State Farm Insurance Lupe Alcala is a Director for State Farm Insurance Companies® in El Paso, TX. She is a proud Latina who is actively involved in her community and passionate about improving the lives of Hispanics through education and leadership. Lupe was born in Texas and raised in the small city of Moline, IL. She has two wonderful sons, Ricardo and David, with her husband of 17 years, Rogelio. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and being active in her community. Sh... Read More!
	Ms. Janet Clark Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Marathon Oil Corporation Janet F. Clark is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Marathon Oil Corporation and serves as a member of Marathon's Executive Committee. She joined Marathon in January 2004 after having previously served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Nuevo Energy from 2001 through 2003. Before joining Nuevo, Ms. Clark worked at Santa Fe Snyder where she assumed the role of executive vice president of Corporate Development and Administration in 1999. Ms. Clark... Read More!
	Mr. Robert Del Boca Sector Vice President and Division General Manager Northrop Grumman Corporation As Electronic Systems Sector Vice President and General Manager of the Defensive Systems Division, Dr. Robert L. Del Boca is responsible for all program activities and business growth strategies related to the sector's defensive systems programs. He also has executive responsibility for the one million square foot Rolling Meadows, Illinois campus. The Defensive Systems Division (DSD) executes approximately $1 billion per year in sales. DSD is a global leader in defense electronics, special... Read More!
	Mr. José Díaz-Balart News Anchor Telemundo Network Telemundo News Anchor Jose Diaz-Balart is also the network's managing director of Public Affairs, as well as managing editor and host of "Enfoque," the network's public affairs news program. A recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award, and two Emmy awards, Diaz-Balart was the first journalist in the United States to anchor both a daily Spanish and English-language newscast. Before joining Telemundo, he was co-anchor for "CBS This Morning" on... Read More!
	Mrs. Laura Gump Vice President of Operations H-E-B Border Region Laura Gump is Vice President of Operations for the Border Region at H-E-B. In her role, she leads 9,000 partners in 46 stores between Del Rio and Brownsville. Laura is the first female in the history of HEB to hold a Vice President of Operations position. Laura has been employed with HEB for over 20 years; she began her career in the HEB Manager Training Program after graduating from college. On a personal level, Laura is married to Tim Gump, a financial planner with USAA and has two child... Read More!
	Mr. Eric Jimenez Senior Staff Consultant Verizon - Green and Sustainability Eric J. Jimenez is a Senior Staff Consultant at Verizon's Green and Sustainability initiatives, reports to Verizon's Chief Sustainability officer, Joan Simpson. His professional experience includes a variety of general and project management, organization development, training, and corporate wide initiatives. His current job duties include leading organizational change initiatives to improve different business processes, responsible for the oversight and program management of Verizon's G... Read More!
	Ms. Julie Lara Social Services Program Manager H-E-B Julie's role at H-E-B focuses on value customer initiatives state wide; with an emphasis on grassroots outreach and enrollment in government assistance and social service programs. Her key areas of focus are Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Children's Medicaid, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), WIC and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). She works to activate H-E-B's partnerships and increase awareness, access and enrollment in all government assistance programs. She is resp... Read More!
	Ms. Rocio Lozano Rojas Human Resources Director H-E-B Border Region Rocio is an HEB partner with 13 years of service. Her career began in 1996 as an HEB Store Management Trainee. She has held several positions in several areas of the company. In the store operations role, she has been a manager in the produce and grocery departments. She has also been a Service Director at one of our Laredo stores. Rocio went on to manage several stores as Assistant Store Director and later as Store Director. Rocio was promoted into the administrative branch as a Human Resou... Read More!
	Ms. Thelma Melendez De Santa Ana Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary E United States Department of Education I am a public education professional who believes in the ability of every child to learn. As a superintendent in an urban school district, my mission is to ensure success for all. I strive to help students who frequently are like I was dissuaded from achieving to their potential on the basis of gender, class, the accent with which they speak, or the color of their skin. Every day I serve in a school district, I work for each child of the district as if she were my own. In July 2009, Thelma Me... Read More!
	Mr. Hector Pineda Associate General Counsel Shell Oil Company Hector Pineda is a member of Shell Oil Company's legal department and has recently been named Associate General Counsel -- Onshore Gas for Shell's Upstream Americas organization. As Associate General Counsel for Onshore Gas, Hector has supervisory responsibility for the attorneys and support staff who provide legal services to Shell's onshore gas business in the Western Hemisphere (primarily in the United States and Canada). In 15 years as an attorney for Shell, Hector has supported major busi... Read More!
	Mr. Arturo (Art) Rosales Director, Program Services & Execution Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Art Rosales is the Director of Program Services & Execution for Boeing Commercial and Civil Programs in Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS). S&IS is the world's largest manufacturer of geosynchronous communications satellites and is also a major provider of space systems, satellites and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications. Rosales was appointed to this position in April 2005. He is responsible for the customer support organization which provides techn... Read More!
	Mrs. Natalie Saiz Director of Human Resources Office Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA After graduating with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico, Natalie V. Saiz, began her work for NASA. Her job with NASA at the Johnson Space Center relocated her to Houston Texas. Natalie continued her education at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and earned a Master of Arts in Human Resources. Her career at the Johnson Space Center began as a Cooperative Education Student in the Human Resources Office. That same year she was hired as a Hu... Read More!
	Mr. Timothy Tipton Vice President Marathon Oil Mr. Tipton was appointed Vice President, Upstream Technology for Marathon Oil Company in September, 2000. Prior to this assignment Mr. Tipton served as Manager, Engineering & Technology, Reservoir Technology, since September 1999. Tipton joined Marathon in 1978 as an Associate Petroleum/Production Engineer in Illinois, and moved through a series of staff, supervisory and managerial assignments in Louisiana, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas, before becoming Production Manager in the Rocky Mountain Re... Read More!
	Mr. Hector Pineda Associate General Counsel Shell Oil Company Hector Pineda is a member of Shell Oil Company’s legal department and holds the position of Associate General Counsel – Onshore for Shell’s Upstream Americas organization. As Associate General Counsel for Onshore, Hector has supervisory responsibility for the attorneys and support staff who provide legal services to Shell’s onshore oil and gas business in the Western Hemisphere (primarily in the United States and Canada). In his nearly 18 years as an attorney for Shell, Hector has supported ma... Read More!
	Ms. Luz Marina Alvarez Ensign United States Navy Ensign Luz Marina Alvarez was born in Santa Ana, Calif. on Sept. 3, 1985 to Mexican immigrants. The youngest of three daughters, she was raised by a single mother. She attended Trabuco Hills High School where she played water polo and lettered in tennis. While at Trabuco Hills, she took four years of French and was active in National and French Honor Societies and Model United Nations. She graduated with honors from Trabuco Hills High School in 2003. As the first person in her family to... Read More!
	Mr. Ralph de la Vega President and CEO AT&T Mobility Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO-AT&T Mobility, was named to his current role in October 2007. He returns to wireless, where he served as chief operating officer of Cingular Wireless from 2004 to 2006, and was responsible for technology planning, network operations, marketing, sales and customer care. Between those two positions, he served as group president-Regional Telecommunications and Entertainment, with responsibility for overall leadership in regional wireline, including consumer, r... Read More!
	Mr. John M. Esquivel Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and Associate Shell Oil Company John Esquivel is the chief ethics and compliance officer and associate general counsel for Shell Oil Company. As chief ethics and compliance officer, he oversees, coordinates, and facilitates the ethics and compliance efforts in line with the Shell Code of Conduct and promotes senior management responsibility and accountability for ethics and compliance. In his associate general counsel role, Esquivel has supervisory responsibility for the Corporate Secretary's Office, as well as the Corporate... Read More!
	Congressman Gene Green U.S. Congressman (TX-29) Congressman Gene Green was first sworn in as the Member of Congress from the 29th Congressional District of Texas in 1993 after twenty years in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. In 1996 he was appointed to the powerful House Energy Commerce Committee and currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and as a member of the following subcommittees: Subcommittee on Telecommunications & the Internet, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and on the Sub... Read More!
	Mr. R.David Guerra President & CEO International Bank of Commerce - McAllen, Texas R. David Guerra is an established leader at the forefront of the banking industry who currently serves as president and CEO of International Bank of Commerce (IBC)McAllen, where he oversees numerous branches in McAllen, Mission, Hidalgo, Edinburg, Pharr, San Juan, Alamo and Weslaco, Texas. Guerra also serves as a director of International Bank of Commerce-Laredo and IBC's multi-bank financial holding company, International Bancshares Corporation (NASDAQ: IBOC), the largest banking institution h... Read More!
	Mr. Gary R. Heminger Executive Vice President Marathon Oil Corporation Gary R. Heminger is executive vice president of Marathon Oil Corporation and serves as one of Marathon's corporate officers. He joined the Company in 1975 and was appointed to his current position in July 2005. In addition to this role, Mr. Heminger is president of Marathon Petroleum Company LLC (formerly Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP)), a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon. He was appointed to this position in September 2001. In January 2001, Mr. Heminger was named MAP executive ... Read More!
	Mr. Gary R. Heminger Executive Vice President Marathon Oil Corporation Gary R. Heminger is executive vice president of Marathon Oil Corporation and serves as one of Marathon's corporate officers. He joined the Company in 1975 and was appointed to his current position in July 2005. In addition to this role, Mr. Heminger is president of Marathon Petroleum Company LLC (formerly Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP)), a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon. He was appointed to this position in September 2001. In January 2001, Mr. Heminger was named MAP executive vice p... Read More!
	Mr. John D. Hofmeister President Shell Oil Company John D. Hofmeister was named president of Shell Oil Company, based in Houston, March 1, 2005. Hofmeister joined Shell as director of Human Resources, based in The Hague, Netherlands, and London, UK, in 1997. Prior to joining Shell he served as vice president, International Human Resources, for AlliedSignal Inc. based in Hong Kong, where he was responsible for developing and implementing AlliedSignal's Asian and European human resources strategy and infrastructure for its Aerospace, Automot... Read More!
	Ms. Laura Montoya Lieutenant Junior Grade U.S. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Laura Montoya was born in Las Vegas, Nev. She entered the U.S. Naval Academy as a fourth class midshipman on June 28, 2006 and was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy in 2006, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in English and a minor in Spanish. Shortly after graduation, Montoya reported to the U.S.S. ANZIO (CG 68), a guided-missile cruiser, for her first tour. She served as main propulsion officer for her first year in ANZIO, managing 16 Gas Turbine Mechani... Read More!
	Congressman Solomon Ortiz U.S. Congressman (TX-27) Congressman Solomon Ortiz was elected to Congress in 1982 and has since served South Texas in the U.S. Congress. Being a child of a migrant family, Ortiz has enduring memories of his family's life from his early childhood, an experience that often leads him to view the questions of poverty, budget and health care before Congress through a prism of personal experience. He is a Democrat, conservative on social issues and progressive on fiscal policy. At the age of 16, Ortiz' father died and he ... Read More!
	Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 110th Congress Nancy Pelosi made history this year, breaking the marble ceiling to become the first woman to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. As the highest-ranking elected woman in American history, she is second in the line of presidential succession. In the opening hours of the 110th Congress, Speaker Pelosi ushered in a new era - one that will take the country in a New Direction with an agenda that reflects American priorities, is accountable to the American people and is fiscal... Read More!
	Mr. Ben G. Romero Washington Operations Director, Intelligence Lockheed Martin Ben Romero, director, Intelligence for Lockheed Martin, Washington Operations, brings a comprehensive knowledge of national security with over 28 years of professional experience in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Additionally, he brings over nine years of significant management and business development experience and expertise in growing the Intelligence marketplace for information technology services and functional business solutions. Currently, Romero is responsibl... Read More!
	Mr. Arturo (Art) A. Rosales Director, Program Services & Execution Commerc Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Art Rosales is the director of Program Services & Execution for Boeing Commercial and Civil Programs in Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS). S&IS is the world's largest manufacturer of geosynchronous communications satellites and is also a major provider of space systems, satellites and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications. Rosales was appointed to this position in April 2005. He is responsible for the customer support organization which provides techn... Read More!
	Dr. François Therrien Curator of Dinosaur Palaeoecology Royal Tyrrell Museum François Therrien studies not only fossil bones but also the rocks that contain them. By combining these two approaches he is able to reconstruct the habitats and climates in which dinosaurs and other extinct animals lived as well as their behavior - how they lived, walked and hunted. This research gives us insight into the consequences of climate and environmental changes on biodiversity and the possible causes of extinction of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago... Read More!
	Mr. William J. Toti Deputy to the Vice President of Intelligence, Surv Raytheon Company's Space and Airborne Systems (SAS William J. Toti is the deputy to the vice president of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems for Raytheon Company's Space and Airborne Systems (SAS). In this capacity, Toti is responsible for creating and executing growth strategies to leverage ISR Systems domain capabilities, such as persistent Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR), Maritime Surveillance, Targeting, Information Operations, and Special Operations, into integrated mission solutions to meet custom... Read More!
	Ms. Joyce Leavitt Winterton Assistant Administrator for Education NASA Joyce Leavitt Winterton, NASA's assistant administrator for Education, directs the development and implementation of the agency's education programs that strengthen student involvement and public awareness of its scientific goals and missions. In this role, she leads the agency in inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as few other organizations can through its unique mission, workforce, facilities, research and innovations. As assistant administrator for Ed... Read More!
	Ms. Amanda Celeste Cañedo Lieutenant Junior Grade U.S. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Cañedo, a native of Dallas, obtained her commission in May 2006 from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in information technology with a secondary discipline in National Security Affairs. In June 2006, she reported to U.S.S. COLE as the ordinance officer and became the strike officer in November 2006. Cañedo obtained her Surface Warfare Qualification June 2007. Her collateral duties include public affairs officer, engagement control officer... Read More!
	Ms. Maria D. Julia-Montanez Lieutenant U.S. Navy Lieutenant Maria D. Julia-Montanez was born to Puerto Rican parents at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Ga. She grew up on the island of Puerto Rico until the age of 12. She traveled the United States as proud daughter of a Navy doctor and officer, and graduated valedictorian of her senior class at Roosevelt Roads High School in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. She graduated from Boston University in 1990 with a bachelors in biology and liberal arts. She was a 1994 graduate of Tufts University School of D... Read More!
	Mrs. Mery-Angela S. Katson Commander Commanding Officer, Navy Recruiting District, San Commander Mery-Angela S. Katson was born in Colombia, South America and raised in New Rochelle, N.Y. She enlisted under the Navys Delayed Entry Program in November 1981 and reported for Boot Camp in Orlando, Fla., in July 1982. Upon graduation from basic training, she was assigned as a deck seaman on board the U.S.S. Point Loma (AGDS-2) in San Diego, Calif., where she earned the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialty qualification. She was designated as a disbursing clerk and reported as the lead... Read More!
	Mr. Rogelio Borrego Quality Engineering Specialist Toyota Motor Manufacturing Rogelio is a Quality Engineering Specialist for Mass Production, specializing in Electrical Functions Quality for current Tundra and Tacoma models at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc. (TMMTX), located on the south side of San Antonio, Texas. In his role, Rogelio is responsible for resolving design and suppler quality problems, qualifying changes for implementation into mass production, and acts as QE contact toward design and suppliers. He also leads in problem solving when no cause can b... Read More!
	Mr. Thom K. Sneed Vice President and Chief Information Officer Marathon Oil Thomas K. Sneed is vice president and chief information officer at Marathon Oil Corporation. He began his current assignment in 2003. Since joining Marathon in 1981 as a computer application programmer, Mr. Sneed has progressed through a series of increasingly senior technical and management positions. He served as vice president of Information Technology at Speedway SuperAmerica, a convenience store chain, and led the Information Technology group for Marathon Petroleum Company LP. A native of D... Read More!
	First Lieutenant David Reyes Admissions Officer U.S. Army 1LT David Reyes is a 2009 graduate of West Point, currently serving as the Far West Minority Outreach Officer for the West Point Directorate of Admissions. Outreach Officers visit high schools and junior high schools across the country to provide information and assistance to prospective West Point Candidates. 1LT Reyes’ area of concentration is in the Admissions Far West Region of the United States, which includes California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona... Read More!
	Ms. Carmela A. Gale Program Manager, Land and Self Protection, Guidance and Electronics Electronic Systems Northrop Grumman Corporation Ms. Gale works for Northrop Grumman Laser Systems as Program Manager in the Advanced Systems Business Area where she is responsible for overseeing key technology development programs. NGC is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of military Electro-Optical targeting systems. Ms. Gale joined NGC in 2005, after graduating from the University of West Florida with a BS degree in Engineering Physics. During her career at NGC she has worked as an engineer supporting the man-portable business u... Read More!
	Mr. Armando Arismendi Director of Special Government Projects IBM Armando Arismendi is responsible for the development and delivery of custom supercomputers for the U.S. Government. He leads a multi-divisional team of researchers, software and hardware developers, and testers as well as manufacturing in order accomplish the delivery of these application-specific supercomputers. Armando was previously the Research Division CIO responsible for the worldwide Research infrastructure as well as infrastructure research in the areas of Cloud Computing and worldwide ... Read More!
	Mr. Armando Garza Plant Manager of Mcallen Facility Coca Cola Refreshments Armando Garza is the Plant Manager of McAllen Facility for the Coca Cola Company. He joined Coca Cola on April 2010 after previously serving various roles with Johnson Controls Inc. from 1998 through 2010. Armando began his career as an Associate Engineering in Johnson Controls Inc. in their Reynosa operations in January 1998 and took on various expanding roles within Engineering and Manufacturing. His continuing education at UTPA allowed Armando to continually expand his capability and ar... Read More!
	Mr. Gavino Ramos Sr Director of Communications Time Warner Cable in Texas Gavino Ramos is the Sr Director of Communications for Time Warner Cable Texas. Under his leadership, many Communications and public affairs programs have allowed Time Warner Cable to successfully compete in the telecommunications arena. Responsible for public relations activities in South Texas and along the newly created Border Region, his duties also include media relations, community relations, and employee communications, Mr. Ramos manages a team that applies proven strategies for developin... Read More!
	Ms. Rosa Valencia President & CEO R. Valencia Inc. DBA Homes of America & Valencia H Rosa Valencia is the daughter of Migrant Farm worker parents. At the age of 19, Rosa and her family migrated to the United States. She migrated holding in her heart three dreams. Her first dream was to be the first in her family to earn a college degree. Her second dream was to provide financial support to her parents. Last but not least, her third dream was to provide jobs for people like herself who take pride in becoming self-sufficient. Knowing almost no English, Rosa enrolled in the Hig... Read More!
	Mr. Valente Rodriguez Entertainer Best known for his role as Ernesto "Ernie" Cárdenas on the hit comedy show "George Lopez," Valente Rodriguez is proud to call the Rio Grande Valley home. Rodriguez, who was born in Edcouch, Texas, is the last of eight children in a family of migrant farmworkers, and was the first in his family to graduate from high school and go to college. Upon taking a summer theatre class at The University of Texas-Pan American, Rodriguez realized he had a real gift for acting, and remained at UTPA to purs... Read More!
	Dr. Zuleyma Tang-Martínez Professor, Department of Biology University of Missouri-St. Louis Dr. Zuleyma Tang Martinez studies animal behavior, particularly social behavior and communication. Dr. Martinez was born in Venezuela and has been affiliated with the University of Missouri-St. Louis since 1976, where she has published over 20 journal articles, edited several symposium proceedings, given over 75 conference presentations, and over a dozen invited presentations. She served as President of the Animal Behavior Society in 1993-1994, and founded the society's Latin American Affairs ... Read More!
	Dr. Robin Fuchs-Young Carcinogenesis Researcher The Virginia Harris Cockrell Cancer Research Cente Research Interests Breast cancer, hormone action, crosstalk, growth hormones, p53, hormonal carcinogenesis, obesity Current Research The main focus of my laboratory is the study of hormonal control of breast cancer, including crosstalk between hormone and growth factors signaling pathways. The goal of our research is to advance our understanding of how steroids and other hormones affect tissue development and tumorigenesis and to identify pivotal molecular targets involved in these pro... Read More!
	Mr. Aaron Acuña Ford Electrical Systems Engineer Ford Motor Company Originally from Edinburg, TX, Aaron Acuña graduated from McAllen Memorial High School. He attended the University of Texas-Pan American and received an Electrical Engineering Degree. Aaron will be completing his Masters in Engineering Management at the University of Michigan-Dearborn this December, and plans on beginning studies for his MBA at the University of Michigan next Fall. Aaron is a Ford Electrical Systems Engineer who has just completed his fourth year with the company and was rec... Read More!
	Dr. Paul F. Barbara Richard J.V. Johnson Welch Chair in Chemistry Hofstra University, B.A., 1974, Chemistry Brown University, Ph.D., 1978, Chemistry Barbara was born in New York City, N. in 1953. He attended Hofstra University, earning a B.A. in 1974, and then went on to perform graduate work with R.G. Lawler at Brown University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1978. From 1978 to 1980 he carried out postdoctoral work at Bell Laboratories, working with P.M. Rentzepis. He joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 1980, achieving the rank of full profes... Read More!
	Dr. Ray Baughman Director of the Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Instit The University of Texas at Dallas Baughman received a B.S. in physics from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in the materials science area from Harvard University. Upon graduation he went to Allied Chemical, which later became AlliedSignal and then Honeywell. In August 2001, he became the Robert A. Welch Professor of Chemistry and director of the Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute at The University of Texas at Dallas. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the World Innovation Foundation, an academician o... Read More!
	Ms. Kimberley Baus 5th Grade Teacher Canterbury Elementary Kimberley Baus, a 5th grade teacher at Canterbury Elementary, says she came into the teaching profession in a non-traditional way. She received her degree in the Advertising/Business Marketing field but soon recognized, by observing her husband (a science teacher), that she could apply her skills, creativity, and work ethic in the classroom and have an impact on students. She went through an Alternative Certification route and took her first teaching job at Jefferson Elementary in Edinburg as... Read More!
	Mr. Juan Bazan Senior Manager- Quality Engineering Raytheon Company, Space and Airborne Systems Juan Bazan is the Business Area Quality Manager for the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISRS) Business Unit headquartered in McKinney, Texas. He is responsible for the planning, execution, and verification of the Quality Management System (QMS) for the business. The QMS drives the discipline that enables Mission Assurance of our delivered systems. The QMS applies to the Technical, Manufacturing, and Procurement processes and products designed, built, and supported by ISRS. ... Read More!
	Mrs. Martha Benavides News Anchor KGBT My interest in broadcast journalism began at a really young age. I suppose I followed in my father's footsteps. At one time he hosted a Spanish entertainment program on KGBT. I grew up in Harlingen and everytime my family and I would drive by the KGBT studios I would tell them "I'm going to work there someday." My dream came true after graduating from high school. I started as a sales assistant and slowly worked my way into the news department. I started as a reporter and have anchored mo... Read More!
	Mr. Julio Brenes Senior Manager Operations Engineering Raytheon Company, Space and Airborne Systems Julio Brenes is the Operations Manager for Raytheon's Airborne Processor department within the Tactical Airborne Systems business. He is responsible for multi-regional planning and all aspects of production execution of the mission computers that Raytheon designs and builds for todays and tomorrows combat aircraft. Mr. Brenes has over 27 years experience spanning Operations Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Production Planning, and International Subcontract Management. He was born in... Read More!
	Ms. Debbie Davidson Diversity Manager, an Equal Employment Opportunity The Boeing Company Debbie Davidson has been with The Boeing Company for 30 years. She has been in the human resources field for the last 12 years working as a Diversity Manager, an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Investigator, an Affirmative Action Specialist, as a Human Resource Generalist, and as Staffing Diversity Program Manager for the last 3.5 years. Prior to coming into Human Resources, Debbie spent 2 years as an organization development specialist. She spent the majority of her career (i.e., 15 y... Read More!
	Mr. Michael Eastman Professor of Chemistry University of Texas at El Paso Eastman received his B.A. degree in chemistry from Carleton College in 1963 and his Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Cornell University in 1968. He did postdoctoral research in actinide chemistry at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1968 to 1970. He was appointed assistant professor of Chemistry at The University of Texas at El Paso in 1970, associate professor in 1974 and professor in 1980. He remained at UTEP until 1988 at which time he moved to Northern Arizona University as professo... Read More!
	Dr. Roben Fuchs-Young Cancer Researcher M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Science Park Research Fuchs-Young is a nationally and internationally recognized cancer researcher at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Science Park Research Division at Smithville, Texas. She earned her Ph.D. in 1988 from Vanderbilt University. Research Interests Breast cancer, hormone action, crosstalk, growth hormones, p53, hormonal carcinogenesis, obesity Current Research The main focus of my laboratory is the study of hormonal control of breast cancer, including crosstalk between hor... Read More!
	Dr. Irma B. Gimenez-Conti, D.D.S. Cancer Researcher M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Science Park Research Gimenez-Conti is a nationally and internationally recognized cancer researcher at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Science Park Research Division at Smithville, Texas. She earned her degrees in 1967 and 1976 from the University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires City, Argentina. Research Interests Modulation of tumor progression, chemopreventive agents, intermediate biomarkers Current Research The goal of my research is to study the tumor biology and carcinogenesis of or... Read More!
	Mrs. Irma B. Gimenez-Conti, D.D.S., Ph.D. Research Division, Researcher University of Texas MD Anderson, Cancer Center Research Interests Modulation of tumor progression, chemopreventive agents, intermediate biomarkers Current Research The goal of my research is to study the tumor biology and carcinogenesis of oral cancer using the hamster cheek model. We are also using this model to test the efficacy of chemopreventive agents and to study their possible mechanisms of action in order to select agents that may be useful in human oral cancer intervention studies. Oral cancer, mainly squamous cell carcino... Read More!
	Ms. Lizbeth Guerra Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (IS Raytheon Company Lizbeth Guerra is a Senior Systems Engineer for Raytheons Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems business. She has been with the company for five years and started her work at Raytheon as an electrical engineer, sustaining radar production and working on module design teams. In 2006, Lizbeth made a transition over into the Systems Development Center where she works on the development, modeling and analysis of system algorithms. Lizbeth was born in Edinburg, Texas but spent most... Read More!
	Dr. Joseph M. Guzman Ph.D. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Diversity United States Air Force Dr. Joseph M. Guzman, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Diversity Integration, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for policy, guidance, direction and oversight of all plans and programs affecting diversity integration for Air Force military and civilian personnel. Dr. Guzman provides leadership, strategic direction, and oversight to all levels of the Air Force ... Read More!
	Ms. Mery-Angela S. Katson Commander/Commanding Officer Navy Recruiting District, San Antonio Commander Mery-Angela S. Katson was born in Colombia, South America and raised in New Rochelle, New York. She enlisted under the Navy's Delayed Entry Program in November 1981 and reported for Boot Camp in Orlando, Fla. in July 1982. Upon graduation from basic training, she was assigned as a deck seaman on board the U.S.S. Point Loma (AGDS-2) in San Diego, Calif., where she earned the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialty qualification. She was designated as a disbursing clerk and reported as the ... Read More!
	Dr. Daniel King 2006 Texas Superintendent of the Year Now Superintendent of Schools for PSJA ISD, King earned his bachelor and master degrees at the University of Texas-Pan American and doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin. He is president of the Equity Center and South Texas Association of Schools and past-chair of the advisory council for the doctoral program in educational leadership at UT-Pan American, among other affiliations. Marcela O. Constantino, the 2007 Regional Elementary Teacher of the Year. Constantino is a 38-year veter... Read More!
	Mr. Nick Lewis Director of School Based Programs The Princeton Review of South Texas A Counselors Guide to the PRA, Parts 1 and 2 Nick Lewis has been active in standardized test preparation for more than15 years. A former college English instructor and executive director of a Princeton Review field office, Lewis now serves as the director of School Based Programs for The Princeton Review of South Texas. He is also a TPR premier tutor and master trainer. ... Read More!
	Mrs. Patricia E. Loera, Esq. Senior Program Officer, Education Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Patricia Loera currently serves as a Senior Program Officer for Education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where her responsibilities include leading the Foundation's strategy and managing investments to ensure that all students graduate "college-ready" in the state of Texas, focusing especially on the achievement of African-American and Hispanic students. Prior to assuming her current position, Patricia served as the Legislative Director for the National Association for Bilingual Ed... Read More!
	Mrs. Laurie Guerra Lozano Owner and Operator Dairy Queen in RGV, Corpus Christi and Monterrey, One of six children - four girls and two boys - Laurie Guerra Lozano grew up in a one-bedroom house on a little ranch in Premont, where she graduated from high school. "I was born in Falfurrias," Laurie said. "That was because there was not a hospital in Premont." Laurie's dad worked for Exxon and her mom stayed at home to take care of her family until the youngest one of her siblings graduated from high school. Today, Laurie Lozano along with her husband and former high school sweetheart ... Read More!
	Ms. Veronica Molina Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (IS Raytheon Company Veronica Molina is currently a Senior Quality Engineer within Raytheon Company located in McKinney, Texas. Raytheon provides defense and aerospace systems which are used in military defense and government applications throughout the world. Products designed and manufactured by the company focus on the subjects of electronics, space, aviation, special mission aircraft and information technology. As a Quality Engineer, Veronica's main role is to ensure products are being designed and manufacture... Read More!
	Dr. Marie T. Mora Professor of Economics University of Texas-Pan American Marie T. Mora is Professor of Economics at the University of Texas-Pan American, and she is currently the President of the American Society of Hispanic Economists (ASHE). Prior to joining UTPA in 2002, Mora was a tenured faculty member at New Mexico State University. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from Texas A&M University in 1996, after completing her B.A. and M.A. degrees (also in economics) from the University of New Mexico in her hometown of Albuquerque. Mora's research interests inclu... Read More!
	Mr. Joel L. Reyes Senior Trainer, Lean/Six Sigma Manager Motorola Inc. Joel L. Reyes has been in the field of training for over 15 years with extensive experience in organizational communication, leadership, project management and human resources. Mr. Reyes is regarded as a skilled change agent in reference to organizational process improvements and lean/six sigma directives. Reyes is currently the Senior Trainer & Lean/Six Sigma Manager for Motorola Inc. based in McAllen, Texas. As such, he is responsible for all of the facilities training needs and special pr... Read More!
	Mr. Ben G. Romero Director, Intelligence Lockheed Martin Washington Operations Ben Romero is Director, Intelligence, Lockheed Martin Washington Operations. In this position, Mr. Romero brings a comprehensive knowledge of national security with over 28 years of professional experience in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Additionally, he brings over 8 years of significant management and business development experience and expertise in growing the Intelligence and Homeland Security marketplace for information technology services and functional business ... Read More!
	Mr. Arturo (Art) A. Rosales Director, Program Services & Execution Commerc Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Art Rosales is the director of Program Services & Execution for Boeing Commercial and Civil Programs in Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS). S&IS is the world's largest manufacturer of geosynchronous communications satellites and is also a major provider of space systems, satellites and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications. Rosales was appointed to this position in April 2005. He is responsible for the customer support organization which provides technic... Read More!
	Ms. Melba Tijerina 2007 Regional Secondary Teacher of the Year Tijerina has been a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at South Palm Gardens High School in Weslaco ISD for the past four years where she says her students are her inspiration. Her 23 years experience in the teaching profession has helped change her perspective about teaching, "my focus has rapidly changed from wanting to teach high achievers with a purpose." She goes on the say that her goal is to develop well-rounded individuals and offer knowledge, skill, leadership and guidance to her stud... Read More!
	Ms. Rosa Valencia President & CEO R. Valencia Inc. DBA Homes of America &Valencia Ho Rosa Valencia is the daughter of Migrant Farm worker parents. At the age of 19, Rosa and her family migrated to the United States. She migrated holding in her heart three dreams. Her first dream was to be the first in her family to earn a college degree. Her second dream was to provide financial support to her parents. Last but not least, her third dream was to provide jobs for people like herself who take pride in becoming self-sufficient. Knowing almost no English, Rosa enrolled in the High... Read More!
	Mr. Chuck Villarreal Director of Mechanical Engineering Lockheed Martin Missiles Chuck Villarreal is the director of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to him taking this position in July 2011, Chuck was the director of production operations for the Dallas heritage tactical missiles line of business. Chuck has a diverse range of technical experience in mechanical design, analysis, and production coupled with a leadership record of accomplishment in areas ranging from mechanical and test engineering functional management, ground combat vehicle design/integration, ground support ... Read More!
	Dr. Lawrence Williams Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Scie Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine Research Interests My main research is focused on three areas within the Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research. We are collecting data on the socialization processes in squirrel monkeys and owl monkeys. The goal of this research is to investigate life span developmental changes in the social interactions between animals in primate societies. We are currently focusing on the differences between nursery and dam reared infants using longitudinal a study of social interactions a... Read More!
	Mrs. Yvonne Adams Reservoir Engineer Marathon Oil Company Yvonne Adams is currently a reservoir engineer for Marathon Oil Company's domestic upstream operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Houston. She joined Marathon in the summer of 2004 as a production engineer intern in Oklahoma City. In the summer of 2005, she returned to Marathon for a second internship in Kenai, Alaska and continued as a production engineer intern. Upon completion of her degree in 2006, she joined Marathon as a prod... Read More!
	Ms. Monica Alvarado Teacher Dr. Rodriguez Elementary Dr. Rodriguez Elementary - NASA Explorer School Integrating Literature into STEM-G Content Monica Alvarado has been teaching for 15 years, primarily as a fourth grade teacher. Her current assignment at Dr. Rodriguez Elementary includes the writing of the NASA Explorer School grant. She recently field tested Seeds of Science and Roots of Reading from Berkley University. She has made a practice of integrating literature into STEM-G concepts using NASA materials. She earned a Bachelor ... Read More!
	Mr. Armando Alvarado Bilingual Curriculum Specialist SureScore College Readiness Tools: Quality Online Tutors Enhancing Math Instruction: Engaging Students through Real-World Application Armando Alvarado is a bilingual curriculum specialist based in the Laredo area. He earned a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M International University, and has considerable experience in the college readiness arena through his work in the admissions office at TAMIU. Alvarado is a certified trainer of all SureScore curricula as well as a program manager and a co... Read More!
	Ms. Rosa Alvarez Events and Project Manager Sales and Marketing Boeing Commercial Airplanes Rosa Alvarez's role in Boeing Commercial Airplanes is event coordinator and project manager. She leads a team responsible for evaluating event opportunities and developing a strategic course for Boeing's participation in airshows, conferences and symposiums. As events manager, Alvarez has traveled to Europe and South East Asia on behalf of Boeing, having recently returned from Santiago, Chile and the Fidae International Airshow. She joined Boeing in 1996 as a para-legal in the Boeing Commerci... Read More!
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	Ms. Jennifer Banda Quality Engineering Specialist Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas Jennifer Banda is a Quality Engineering Specialist in the Paint & Body Quality Engineering Group. Her responsibilities include vehicle specification control and quality control of incoming chemicals and raw materials used at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (TMMTX), located in San Antonio. She received her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas-Pan American in December of 2007 and joined Toyota in the spring of 2008. She currently resides in San Antoni... Read More!
	Mrs. Maria S. Benavides Process & Flow Assurance Engineering Group Shell María S. Benavides, who has worked as an engineer for 14 years, joined Shell in May 2006 with Shell E&P in the Development Concept Engineering Group for Deepwater. She currently works in the Process & Flow Assurance Engineering Group. Her key responsibilities include providing technical expertise in order to identify and mature new technologies for deepwater and sub-sea applications; monitoring and remediation of technologies for flow assurance considerations in sub-sea flow lines; and conducti... Read More!
	Ms. Melissa C. Sorola Communications Director Time Warner Cable Melissa is the Communications Director for Time Warner Cable in San Antonio where she develops and implements public relations plans to promote the company’s products, services and community initiatives. Melissa has been with the company since 2006 and her favorite Time Warner Cable technology is the TWC TV app. In her 11 years in public relations, Melissa has conducted public relations work for several notable clients including the San Antonio Express-News, San Fernando Cathedral, the Alamed... Read More!
	Ms. Denisse Cantu Graduate Recruiter UTPA Office of Graduate Studies Furthering Your Education: Graduate School Denisse Cantu just recently joined The University of Texas - Pan American as a graduate recruiter after spending several years in the field of TV Journalism. A Valley native, Cantu attended UTPA for her bachelor's in broadcast journalism. During her time at UTPA, she wrote for the campus newspaper and interned with the school's TV station. She also took the opportunity to study abroad in Spain and spent a semester interning for the U.S. Depa... Read More!
	Ms. Jennifer Cavazos-Saenz Curriculum and Assessment SureScore Enhancing Math Instruction: Engaging Students through Real-World Application Jennifer Saenz is the director of Curriculum and Assessment for SureScore and oversees all developmental stages of SureScore programs. She has a bachelor's in science in interdisciplinary studies cognate: early childhood. She also earned a master's in reading education cognate: diagnostician. She has five years experience in the classroom and three years of experience at the Texas Education Agency as a consu... Read More!
	Mrs. Jane Damaske Texas Instruments Grasp the Math through Multiple Representations Jane Damaske is a former math teacher with 30 years of experience. She has conducted one-half day to nine-day professional development workshops using real-world data and technology across the country. Being an active member of the Content Advisory Committee for the Michigan Department of Education, she has reviewed the questions used on the state's standardized math test. She is the lead instructor for the Region One and UTPA GEAR UP p... Read More!
	Mr. Michael Dell Founder and Chairmen and Chief Executive Officer Dell Corporations Michael Dell, born in February 1965, is the chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of Dell, the company he founded in 1984 with $1,000 and an unprecedented idea - to build relationships directly with customers. In 1992, Mr. Dell became the youngest CEO ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500. Mr. Dell is the author of Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry, his story of the rise of the company and the strategies he has refined that apply to all ... Read More!
	Mr. Jerry Durham Education Coordinator International Museum of Art & Science Science on a Sphere: Introduction to a New Exhibit that has the World on a String Jerry Durham, education coordinator, holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history from Tulane University in New Orleans. A magna cum laude graduate, he has been previously employed as educational programs coordinator at the Ocean Star Museum and Offshore Energy Center in Galveston, Texas. He studied world art and museum studies for a year at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England and has traveled ... Read More!
	Mrs. Linda Gooden Executive Vice President Lockheed Martin Linda Gooden is Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services (IS&GS) business area and an officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation. IS&GS, which employs approximately 52,000 people worldwide and generated $8.4 billion in equivalent sales for Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is the largest provider of federal technology services in the world. Under her leadership IS&GS provides its federal customers with information technology solutions, mission services,... Read More!
	Ms. Martha Grigsby NASA Microgravity Math: The Weightless Wonder Martha Grigsby received her master's degree in mathematics curriculum and instruction in 1977 from the University of Houston. For 33 years, she enjoyed a very full teaching career in mathematics in grades ninth-12. The last 18 years she served as department chair. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she has been involved as a writer, a presenter, and a trainer of trainers for numerous curriculum initiatives, such as the TEXTEAMS Ins... Read More!
	Ms. Claudia Gutierrez STEM Education Specialist Region One Education Service Center Claudia Gutierrez is a STEM education specialist at Region One Education Service Center. Prior to joining Region One ESC, she taught mathematics in McAllen for 14 years.... Read More!
	Ms. Jennifer Hall Volunteer Coordinator World Birding Centers - Texas Parks and Wildlife Using Parks and Nature Centers as Outdoor Classrooms Jennifer Hall is the volunteer coordinator for the three State Park-World Birding Centers: Bentsen Rio Grande Valley in Mission, Estero Llano Grande in Weslaco, and Resaca de la Palma in Brownsville. Her current projects include developing family-based volunteer opportunities, increasing service learning programs, expanding volunteer programs and community outreach, enhancing environmental education through teacher training and sch... Read More!
	Mr. John Hinojosa Teacher Brownsville ISD Lets Navigate through Math with TI-Navigator John Hinojosa has been teaching mathematics/technology courses for approximately 16 years. He is currently teaching for the Brownsville Independent School District at Simon Rivera High School. Prior to working for BISD, he taught technology courses for pre-service teachers at The University of Texas at Brownsville. He is a certified T^3 regional instructor with TI-Navigator and also have provided various professional development sessions to local sc... Read More!
	Mr. John Hofmeister Chief Executive Officer Shell John D. Hofmeister serves as a Director of U.S.A. Operations of Royal Dutch. Mr. Hofmeister has been Chairman of U.S.A. Operations of Royal Dutch Shell plc since March 2005. He served as the President of Shell Oil Company from March 1, 2005 to June 2008. He served as Director of Human Resources of The Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Mr. Hofmeister served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Human Resources of Shell Oil Company. Prior to joining Shell, he served as Vice President of Interna... Read More!
	Mr. James Hyneman Co-Host MythBusters Hailing from Indiana farm country, Jamie Hyneman was born on September 25, 1956. He is a multifaceted man: wilderness survival expert, boat captain, diver, linguist, animal wrangler, machinist and cook, to name a few. His career has been as equally diverse: Jamie earned a degree in Russian languages and ran a sailing/diving charter business in the Caribbean for several years before he moved over to the visual-effects industry. Once he had joined that field and had worked for several ... Read More!
	Ms. Laura Lara Senior Project Manager NCARB Provide leadership, obtain approval, and assure project delivery within policy and owner project requirements for the two Rio Grande Valley University System Campuses, The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and University of Texas Pan American Capital Improvement Program covering a wide variety of projects to include research, teaching, health care, sports, and infrastructure. Provide technical authority and program oversight over Project and Resident Construction Ma... Read More!
	Mrs. Melendy Lovett President of TI Educational Products Texas Instruments Melendy Lovett is a senior vice president of Texas Instruments and president of the company's worldwide Education Technology business, which focuses on market-leading educational technology to improve teaching and learning of math and science. Previously, Lovett was a vice president in the company's human resources organization, where she was responsible for TI's worldwide compensation and benefits programs. Lovett's background includes operational experience in software and professional s... Read More!
	Mrs. Samantha M. Silvas Team Lead, License Management US ExxonMobil Information and Technology Samantha was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. She joined ExxonMobil Global Services Company in June of 2009 after being the first female to graduate with a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas – Pan American. Samantha currently works for ExxonMobil’s Global Services Company in Software Services as the team lead for the Houston License Management team, managing software licenses. In her three years with ExxonMobil she has held three different assignments. She find... Read More!
	Mrs. Rita Moreno Actress Actress, singer. Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Throughout her career, Moreno has broken new ground for Latinos in the field of entertainment. She began her career in show business at early age. She appeared on Broadway and in her first film role in her early teens and left school around the same time. Moreno is perhaps best known for her work in West Side Story (1961), a modern musical inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. A versatile performe... Read More!
	Mr. James Olmos Actor If Edward James Olmos had followed the first love of his life, he'd have been a professional baseball player. But by age 13, another love entered his life: rock music. By age 15 he was already an experienced rock singer, forming and reforming several "garage bands" along the way. During the late '60s and early '70s he played the most famous clubs on Sunset Strip, including Gazzarri's and The Factory. But a friend suggested that, with his flair for the dramatic, he consider a career in acting. ... Read More!
	Mrs. Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the U.S. Congress Congress Since 1987, Nancy Pelosi has represented California's Eighth District in the House of Representatives. The Eighth District includes most of the City of San Francisco including Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and many of the diverse neighborhoods that make San Francisco a vibrant and prosperous community.Overwhelmingly elected by her colleagues in the fall of 2002 as Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi is the first woman in American history to lead a ma... Read More!
	Ms. Linda Pena Library/Media Specialist Dr. Rodriguez Elementary Dr. Rodriguez Elementary - NASA Explorer School Integrating Literature into STEM-G Content Linda Pena is currently the library/media specialist who plans, directs, implements and evaluates STEM-G through technology. She uses NASA resources to validate STEM-G content. She has a Bachelor of Science from New Mexico State University and Masters of Library Science from Sam Houston University. Pena is involved in the National Science Teacher Association. ... Read More!
	Mr. Nicolas Pereyra Lecturer UTPA Department of Physics and Geology H-E-B Planetarium: A Valuable Educational Tool for Secondary Schools Nicolas Pereyra is a lecturer in astronomy in the UTPA Department of Physics and Geology. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1997 and his Master of Science in 1995. He also received his bachelors degree in physics from the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Pereyra was a research assistant/associate at Goddard Space Flight Center from 1993-1998 where he worked on mode... Read More!
	Mr. Gustavo Perez STEM Initiative - Region One ESC As part of the STEM Initiative through the Region One ESC, Gustavo Perez is assisting the transformation of instructional delivery and instruction in secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As a STEM education specialist, he is actively disseminating promising practices and research-based strategies for integrating STEM teaching and learning. A former engineer and educator, Perez works to prepare students for careers in a global economy by improving student achievement outco... Read More!
	Mr. Miguel Reyes Electrical Engineering / MBA University of Texas-Pan American Miguel Reyes was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, a city located in the central region of Mexico. Reyes became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994. He graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1993 and in December 2007 completed a Master in Business Administration from the USC Marshall School of Business. Reyes joined Boeing in 2003 as a member of the Systems Test Organization, served as the test director on ... Read More!
	Ms. Rosy Rodriguez Subcontracts Manager Satellite Development Center The Boeing Company Rosy Rodriguez is a Subcontracts Manager for the Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, in El Segundo, Calif. Her responsibilities include supplier development and execution of critical and strategic supplier management activities, including solicitation, negotiation, and administration of major subcontract activities under Government and Commercial prime contracts and proposals. Additionally, she plays an extended role in program proposal efforts, and material management on a large communica... Read More!
	Mr. Adam Savage Co-Host MythBusters Born on July 15, 1967 in New York City, Adam Savage was raised in Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County. He has spent his life gathering skills that allow him to take what's in his brain and make it real. He's built everything from ancient Buddhas to futuristic weapons, from spaceships to dancing vegetables, from fine art sculptures to animated chocolate – and just about anything else you can think of. The son of a filmmaker/painter and psychotherapist, Adam has been making his own toys s... Read More!
	Mr. Martin Schray Academic Developer Evangelist (ADE) Microsoft Robots in the House Martin Schray is an Academic Developer Evangelist (ADE) for Microsoft. He has more than 19 years of IT, consulting and software industry experience in development, product and project management. Before joining Microsoft, he worked at three software and consulting startup companies as well as working in the IT organizations of a manufacturing company and legal firm. He served on the Object Management Group special interest group on bioinformatics standards. He co-... Read More!
	Dr. Seth Shostak Senior Astronomer SETI Institute Seth is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, Seth conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately sixty papers in professional journals. He has written more than four hundred popular magazine, newspaper and Web articles on various topics in astronomy, techno... Read More!
	Ms. Mary Jane Smith Agile Mind director of Professional Services in th Agile Mind Academic Youth Development: Bridging to High School Mary Jane Smith, Agile Mind director of Professional Services in the Southwest Region, has more than 26 years working in and with public schools in Texas and California. Most recently as Agile Mind director of Professional Services, she has worked with middle schools and high schools in Texas, Maine, New York, California, Georgia and South Carolina. Before coming to Agile Mind, she was a consultant for Texas Instruments, Dale Seymou... Read More!
	Mr. Vijay Soodeen UTPA Regional Biotech program University of Texas-Pan American Vijay Soodeen has been teaching and tutoring for more than 10 years. He has taught middle and high school science for the past seven years in New York City and the Rio Grande Valley. He received his education at University of the West Indies (Trinidad), University of Cambridge (UK), and Nyack College (New York). In addition, he has worked as a pharmacist and manager of a pharmacy, but has always been focused on teaching. He came to the UTPA Regional Biotech program in late 2007, and enjoys tea... Read More!
	Mr. Robert Stevens Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lockheed Martin Robert J. Stevens serves as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin. He has held a variety of increasingly responsible executive positions with the Corporation, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and head of Strategic Planning through a career that has included experience in program management, finance, manufacturing, and operations. Mr. Stevens is a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astro... Read More!
	Mr. Glenn Ralph Stock Jr. Escape Systems Engineer The Boeing Company Glenn Ralph Stock Jr. was born in 1981 from a family of Mexican immigrants. He was born and raised in a suburb of McAllen, Texas. Upon his completion of Nikki Rowe High School, he attended South Texas Community College and received his Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in engineering. Following completion of his A.A.S., Stock continued his education at The University of Texas-Pan American, and received his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. Currently, Stock works at The Boeing Co... Read More!
	Mr. Samuel Stokes Technologist Microsoft You've Got Game - Emerging Game Development Techniques Sam Stokes is a well know technologist for Microsoft and has helped professors at post-secondary schools create over 150 new classes using Microsoft technology. He has worked with more than 20,000 students over the past five years to motivate them to become software technologists and leaders. Now he is bringing this knowledge to the K-12 teachers to help them motivate their students to enter into the technology and fields of hard... Read More!
	Mr. Rex Tillerson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ExxonMobil Corporation A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Mr. Tillerson earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin before joining Exxon Company, U.S.A. in 1975 as a Production Engineer. In 1989, he became General Manager of EUSA's Central Production Division, responsible for oil and gas production operations throughout a large portion of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. In 1992 Mr. Tillerson was named Production Advisor to Exxon Corporation. Three years later he wa... Read More!
	Ms. Kay Tobola Science Education Specialist Astromaterials Research and Science Exploration NA Imagine Mars and the Possibilities of Each Science, Space Science, and an Interdisciplinary Experience Kay Tobola is science education specialist for Astromaterials Research and Science Exploration NASA-Johnson Space Center. Her areas of expertise include curriculum development, workshop development/delivery for formal and informal education audiences, and classroom instruction in the middle school. Her focus is on interdisciplinary teaching, gifted and talented instruction, and emer... Read More!
	Ms. Yvonne Trejo Reservoir Engineer Marathon Oil Yvonne Trejo is currently a Reservoir Engineer for Marathon Oil Company’s Eagle Ford asset in South Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston in Houston, TX. She joined Marathon in the summer of 2004 as a production engineer intern in Oklahoma City, OK. In the summer of 2005, she returned to Marathon for a second internship in Kenai, Alaska and continued as a production engineer intern. Upon completion of her degree in 2006, she joi... Read More!
	Ms. Monica Trevathan Education Specialist and Instructional Designer NASA Microgravity Math: The Weightless Wonder Monica Trevathan joined the NASA family in 2000 after completing her master's degree in instructional technology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She began her career in the aerospace industry with the Training Division at the Johnson Space Center where she worked as an instructional designer for the ISS Expedition Crew Working Group. She also developed a training program for the Software Engineering (ISS Avionics) group at the Boein... Read More!
	Mr. Craig Wilson Professor Texas A&M University College of Science, Center fo USDA/Hispanic Serving Institutions National Program We Need More Scientists: Research and USDA Labs Dr. Craig Wilson of the Texas A&M University College of Science, Center for Mathematics and Science Education has taught for 34 years on three continents with research interests in hands-on/inquiry teaching and in how to successfully link science teachers with research scientists. He coordinated a NASA funded program that allowed him to work with space science teachers in all 50 s... Read More!
	Mr. Jon Gary Herrera Vice President Time Warner Cable in Texas Jon Gary Herrera is the Vice President of Communications for Time Warner Cable Texas. Under his strategic leadership, his aggressive communications and public affairs programs have allowed Time Warner Cable to successfully compete in the telecommunications arena. Responsible for all public relations activities which include media relations, community relations, and employee communications, Mr. Herrera manages a team that applies proven strategies across Texas for developing and executing the ov... Read More!
	Mr. Trinidad Aguirre General Manager - Texas Region Verizon Telecom Trinidad Aguirre is general Manager - Texas for Verizon Telecom. As the GM, he is tasked to ensure that we are responsive to our customers' needs and the changing competitive landscape and are able to capitalize quickly on opportunities in the market. His mission is to drive revenue growth, increase operational efficiency and improve service delivery and own the profitability and service performance in Texas. Prior to this position, Trinidad Aguirre was vice president - field operations f... Read More!
	Mrs. Magda N. Yrizarry Vice President - Workplace Culture, Diversity and Verizon Communications Magda Yrizarry is vice president- Workplace Culture, Diversity and Compliance in Corporate Human Resources for Verizon. She is responsible for strategic HR issues and policies relating to diversity, ethics and workplace programs. Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Yrizarry was executive director- Public Policy and Strategic Alliances for Verizon. She was responsible for Verizon's key national stakeholder relationships and outreach efforts with multicultural communities, senior citizen and... Read More!
	Mr. Romeo R. Pérez Piceance Basin Expansion Project Manager ExxonMobil Production Company Romeo R. Pérez was born and raised in South Texas. Currently he is an executive level manager with 26 years of service with ExxonMobil Corporation. He has spent the last 19 years in either a managerial or supervisory role with a majority of that time in petroleum production operations. In addition to his current assignment, other notable assignments include reservoir supervisor, technology manager, planning manager, operations superintendent, operations manager, regional coordinator, and busi... Read More!
	Ms. Sandra Ellett Technical Manager IBM Ellett-Salmorán is a technical manager with IBM in Austin, Texas. Ellett-Salmorán was born in Mercedes, Texas, and was raised in Cd. Mante, Tamaulipas, Mexico. As a teenager, her family moved to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and she considers Brownsville and Matamoros her hometowns. After completing college in Mexico, she attended Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, graduating as valedictorian in 1985. She joined the U.S. Navy after graduation, continuing her education and completing a bachelors i... Read More!
	Ms. Maria Garza Staff Software Engineer IBM Systems and Technology Group, Systems Software Maria Garza is currently working with the Virtual I/O Server Development team located at the IBM site in Austin. She is a technical professional who participates in the design, test and development of IBM software products that allow for the virtualization of IBM systems. She is the lead for the Functional Verification Team for VIOS in India for whom she develops test plans and schedules and tracks their completion. This past summer she had the opportunity to successfully lead a summer speed tea... Read More!
	Mrs. Mina Martinez Office Administrator Commercial and Civil Satel Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Mina Martinez supports the Director of Program Services and Execution for the Commercial and Civil Satellite Programs for Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, based in El Segundo, Calif. Martinez also works with the Boeing executive responsible for developing, organizing and planning the Company's partnership with The University of Texas-Pan American's annual Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology (HESTEC) Week. In her 28-year career at Boeing/GM-Hughes Electronics, she has gained a... Read More!
	Mrs. Patricia S. Metcalf Supervisor, Construction Group ExxonMobils Develo ExxonMobil As a supervisor in the construction group in ExxonMobils development company, Metcalf manages more than 30 employees and contractors who are located primarily in Spain, Angola and the United States. Metcalf was born in Laredo, Texas and has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Rice University. She joined Exxon Company USA in 1985 as a construction engineer building retail stations in Houston, San Antonio and Corpus Christ... Read More!
	Ms. Ingrid M. Moulckers Senior Technical Staff Member, Developer Relations IBM Software Group Ingrid M. Moulckers joined IBM in 1989 as an associate programmer. With eight years of Small and Medium Business (SMB mid-market) architecture, development, management and business process experience, she is a STSM and chief architect for SMB Solutions and Solutions Builder Express Portfolio in the IBM Software Group. An IBM Certified e-business designer, she also pioneered the IBM Solutions Builder Express Portfolio and the IBM Industry Solutions strategy for SMB. The SMB experience offers ... Read More!
	Ms. Dinorah Olmos Senior Program Manager, National and International Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Dinorah Olmos currently serves as the senior program manager for National and International Talent Search for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth where she identifies and recruits gifted and talented students around the world. Olmos has been instrumental in the opening of two new international sites in Mexico where she was the site director in 2007. Olmos was born and raised in Puebla, Mexico. She moved to United States at the age of 22, and earned her undergraduate degre... Read More!
	Ms. Irene Hernandez Roberts Program Director, Independent Software Vendor (ISV IBM Software Group Irene Hernandez Roberts is a program director in IBM Software Group, Independent Software Vendor (ISV) and Developer Relations, and works closely with ISVs to help partners integrate IBM products and technologies into their business solutions. She leads a global team of over 100 IT architects and specialists with a budget of $15 million. Her team provides a wide range of technical capabilities to business partners in all of IBM's strategic partner initiatives. She is also responsible for IBM's... Read More!
	Ms. Monica A. Saenz Director, Texas Chemical Pipelines, Business Devel ExxonMobil Pipeline Company Monica Saenz is currently director for Texas Chemical Pipelines in the Business Development group of ExxonMobil Pipeline Company. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She joined Exxon Company, USA in 1997 as a plant engineer managing the design, construction and start-up phases of capital projects for Marketing Distribution Terminals. She then joined ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (EMPCo) in 2000, as a design engineer in... Read More!

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