NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program Renamed to Honor Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr.
The walls of Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr.’s office in Lamden Hall are adorned with several large prints, each a group photo of a different graduating class of the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) Leadership Fellows Program. The smiling faces provide a welcome reminder that the leadership development program he founded in 2003 — and continues to lead as its executive director — has made a massive impact.
“Out of this group,” he said, pointing to the photos, “there are 17 community college presidents here.”
The program, which prepares Latinx administrators to advance in executive learnership positions at U.S. community colleges, found a new home at San Diego State University in 2020. And now, it has found a new name as well.
The NCCHC Board of Directors has announced that the program will now be officially known as The Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr. NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program.
“We are so pleased to recognize and honor the important work and effort of Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr., as he established and nurtured this program of national importance,” said Dr. Robert Vela, president of NCCHC. “The NCCHC Board of Directors believes in the mission and integrity of developing leaders by providing rigorous curriculum and mentoring opportunities. We also believe that we best demonstrate our collective gratitude by naming our prestigious program in his honor.”
Said Martinez: “It was emotional for me to get that call. It's truly an honor to be recognized for the work that I do. It's a labor of love. I’ve been really interested in increasing the number of Latinos and Latinas in our pipeline, because there are so few nationally."
The fellowship, which entails seminars and culturally-tailored curriculum and mentorship, has helped make a significant dent in the equity gap. The 17 program alumni who are community college presidents represent more than a quarter of all Latinx community college presidents nationwide. Former fellows are in leadership positions in 24 states.
Last month, the summer program celebrated 24 new graduates in its 2021 class, which went virtual for the first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Martinez proudly notes that 18 of them were women — an all-time high for the program.
“This program is mind-changing because it demystifies the presidency,” Martinez said. “If you'd never thought about being a college president before, when you get through this program, you're thinking about it. It also helps people bring their identities back out. We often try to bury our identity and our language to try to fit into the system. This allows them to say OK, I'm Hispanic or Latino and that’s an asset.
“And once they leave the program they're change agents.”