Alyssa Cervantes Benavides
Dr. Benavides has served as a senior project manager, senior administrator, and policy strategist throughout Texas for two decades. She initiated her career as a policy analyst at the Texas House of Representative, Mexican American Legislative Caucus Foundation. Since then, she has served as an administrator for the San Antonio City Council, City of Houston Administration, and City of El Paso Water Utilities. Dr. Benavides has led institutional initiatives at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC EP) for the past 10 years. Currently, as Senior Director of Interprofessional Education at TTUHSC EP, Dr. Benavides is charged with project implementation, project management of the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan, Interprofessional Education Initiative for academic reaccreditation.
In addition to her Master’s in Public Administration from UTEP, Dr. Benavides received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Ethnic Studies from UT Austin, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education Leadership, Policy concentration from Texas Tech. Her academic research focuses on postsecondary degree attainment of underrepresented student populations, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and education policy, program evaluation. Dr. Benavides is an alumna of the LBJ Women’s Campaign School, Texas Education Policy Fellowship, and Hunt Aspen Institute Fellowship.
As a lifelong community volunteer, Dr. Benavides has served as co-founder of the Education Ministry of El Paso, STEM program opportunity facilitator, and student mentor. She is former Vice Chair of the City of El Paso’s Open Space Advisory Board, and currently serves on leadership boards for the League of Women Voters of El Paso and Association of Latino Professionals for America