Jacob Fraire
Jacob Fraire serves as director of policy and strategy for the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a leading Hispanic-serving research university. Fraire has more than three decades of experience in higher education policy, advocacy, philanthropy, evaluation, and business & education partnerships. His areas of expertise include public policy development at the state and federal levels, philanthropic strategy, program development, coalition building, nonprofit management, and governmental and legislative affairs.
Prior to joining UTEP, Fraire served as president and chief executive officer of the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC), where he led public policy, student success advocacy, and institutional reform for the 50 community college districts in Texas. He further provided leadership to the Community College Association of Texas Trustees. Before his leadership role at TACC, Fraire was appointed vice president of philanthropy at Texas Guaranteed Student Loans (now Trellis Company), where he authored the company’s philanthropic strategy and public policy blueprint.
Fraire serves as chair of the board of directors for the Institute for Higher Education Policy. He has served on the board of directors of Grantmakers for Education, and on the Committee on Measures of Student Success – a federal advisory committee authorized by Congress to study effective measurements of community college success. He has served as an education advocate and lobbyist for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), National Association of Student Employment Administrators, National Association for Migrant Education, and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Fraire also served as director of legislation and policy analysis for HACU and as senior legislative coordinator for the law firm of Jorden, Burt, Berenson, & Johnson, LLP.
Fraire earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from St. Edwards University and a master’s degree in public affairs from The University of Texas at Austin. In May 2013, he was awarded an honorary associates degree of applied arts from El Paso Community College.
