MinerAlert
MinerAlert
The Institute is led by our inaugural Executive Director Dr. Anne-Marie Núñez and the UT Regents’ Endowed Distinguished Director Dr. Azuri Gonzalez. Together, they combine deep research expertise with extensive operational experience to expand our impact. By building mission-driven knowledge and partnerships, Drs. Núñez and Gonzalez guide the Natalicio Institute team in driving change and expanding student opportunity in higher education.
Dr. Núñez’s visionary scholarship employs sociological approaches to examine how to design organizations and systems to broaden postsecondary educational opportunities. She has published several studies on the higher education experiences and trajectories of Latine, first-generation, English Learner, working, and migrant students. As a national expert on Hispanic-Serving Institutions, her co-edited book, Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Advancing Research and Transformative Practice, won an International Latino Book Award.
She has led and collaborated on over $30 million of funded projects to advance educational effectiveness, experiential learning, and community engagement in computing and geoscience fields, particularly in Hispanic-Serving Institutions. An American Educational Research Association Fellow, she has also been recognized in Education Week’s Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings as among the top 200 scholars in the U.S. influencing educational practice and policy. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Education for her outstanding scholarship and leadership related to education.
Dr. Gonzalez brings more than two decades of experience in higher education administration, program development, and community engagement to her role at the Institute. She has dedicated her career to the transformation of higher education in support of public and community engaged scholarship, faculty development, community partnerships, student high-impact practices, and the overall alignment of institutional priorities for public impact. As the Director of Partnerships and Operations, Dr. Gonzalez leverages this experience to turn our strategic vision and insights into repeatable actions at national scale.
She concurrently serves as the Executive Director for the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (hsru.org). As a practitioner-scholar, Dr. Gonzalez co-edited Community Engagement and High Impact Practices in Higher Education and advanced frameworks that promote lifelong learning through global citizenship and community engagement. She also has served extensively on nonprofit boards, providing expertise in strategic planning, organizational management, stakeholder development, leadership, and governance for local, regional, and national entities.
