Edwin Diaz
Diaz started his education career as a social science teacher and a football coach at Gilroy High School before becoming the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at Oak Grove School District. In 2000 Diaz was recruited to become the Superintendent for Gilroy Unified School District. He transformed the school district to improve academic achievement for all students. Currently, Diaz is the Superintendent for Pasadena Unified School District.

Dr. Ron Garcia
Raised in Ventura, California, Garcia ventured to northern California to complete three graduate degrees at Stanford. His career in education began as a teacher at San Jose High School. Next, he joined the Stanford Primary Care Associate Program and became the Associate Director and Director of Admissions. Currently, he serves as Assistant Dean for Minority Affairs and Director of the Center of Excellence in Cultural Diversity at Stanford School of Medicine. His vision to increase diversity among health professionals has resulted in programs in Santa Clara County for middle school, high school, community colleges and public and private universities.

Francisco Jiménez
Nationally renowned author and educator, Jiménez, received his BA from SCU and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He served on: the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, California Council for the Humanities, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, SCU Board of Trustees. His books The Circuit, Breaking Through (Silicon Valley Reads, 2003), La Mariposa, and The Christmas Gift have won national awards. He has published several books on Mexican and Mexican American literature and was selected the 2002 U.S. Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He is a Professor of Spanish Studies at SCU.

Dr. David P. Lopez
Since 2003, Dr. Lopez has served as President of The National Hispanic University, which was established over 25 years ago to provide affordable quality education for Hispanics and other underserved students. In 2006, the Governor appointed Dr. Lopez to the State Board of Education. After three years of teaching in the College of Education at New Mexico State University, he continued his career at California State University, Fresno, where he became a tenured faculty member in the School of Education and Human Development. In 2004 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from New Mexico State University, and in 2005 he was named the Hispanic-Net Educator of the Year. He earned his Doctorate in Education from New Mexico State University.

Chancellor Rosa Pérez
A passionate, energetic educator and leader, Pérez has earned a reputation as an innovator in postsecondary education at the community college level throughout her 34-year career. Pérez works with her two campuses, San José City College in downtown San José, and Evergreen Valley College in the foothills of southeast San José, to create strong institutions that respect the value of every student and employee. Her everyday actions express a deep commitment to social justice and a grass roots approach to the work of education and community building partnerships. Pérez champions many causes in education, including workforce education, and is active with several community-based organizations.

Ana Maria Pineda
Ana Maria Pineda, R.S.M., Ph.D., is a Sister of Mercy born in El Salvador and raised in SF’s Mission District. Pineda is a leader in many national efforts in theological studies and education for Latinos inspiring them to value their cultural/religious heritage and motivating them to community service and leadership. She has served on numerous boards such as Louisville Institute, Catholic Bishops advocating for Latinos. Pineda is a founding member of the influential Hispanic Theological Initiative which provides scholarships and mentoring for Latino doctoral theological students. She is an associate professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University since 1997.

Rocio Abundis-Rodriguez
Abundis-Rodriguez has dedicated nearly seventeen years to managing and/or supporting diverse youth-oriented programs in the neediest communities throughout California. Eleven of those years have been dedicated to serving youth and their families in Santa Clara County. She is the Regional Lead for Healthy Start and after school programs, leveraging resources and mentoring nearly 200 of the most impoverished schools in Santa Clara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties and enabling them to both be exemplary and to better serve their communities. Abundis-Rodriguez has used her education, skills, and her relentless passion for her community in every opportunity possible seeking opportunities and brokering resources to empower and serve the Latino community.

Julia Curry Rodriguez
Curry Rodriguez has been involved in the procurement and advancement of higher education for Latinos since the age of 16, when she entered UC Santa Barbara. Curry Rodriguez has been active with students in all realms of education, from elementary to the universities to graduate school. She has been an active member of the National Association for Chicana/Chicano Studies, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Association.

Dr. Carmen Sigler
Sigler joined the faculty of the Department of Foreign Languages at San José State University in 1987, where she has served as the Teacher Education Coordinator, Associate Chair for Curriculum, and Department Chair. In 1998, she became Acting Dean of the College of Humanities and the Arts –the largest college in the University. In 2000, following a national search, she was appointed Dean. Sigler is a recipient of the California Foreign Language Teachers Association’s Outstanding Teacher Award.