UNM-Valencia Campus Senior Program Manager Brittany Padilla was selected as a Fellow of La Academia de Liderazgo of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

La Academia is a one-year program that prepares the next generation of culturally diverse leaders for executive and senior level positions in higher education.

Brittany Padilla 1
Brittany Padilla

According to the website, La Academia is designed to increase the number of talented individuals who aspire to be in leadership positions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Emerging HSIs.

Padilla is one of 10 individuals who will receive a $10,000 fellowship from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to cover the program cost.

“Congratulations! You are most deserving of the scholarship and of the opportunity to participate in La Academia de Liderazgo” said Dr. Tito Guerrero, Director of La Academia.

Padilla will be a part of the Fourth Cohort, which will be comprised of individuals whose wide-ranging and substantive experiences will help Fellows better position themselves for postsecondary leadership roles.

“I am so appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of this program and a fellowship recipient,” Padilla said. “I am also grateful to Dr. Alice Letteney, who brought the program to my attention and recommended that I apply for it.”

Letteney, who is retiring as UNM-Valencia Chancellor after 27 years of service, has participated as a national panelist on La Academia the last two years. 

The formal program will kick off October 6, prior to HACU’s Annual Conference in San Diego. The second session of the program will begin on April 17, 2023, in conjunction with HACU’s annual Capitol Forum in Washington, D.C.

For more information, visit HACU Leadership Fellows Program.