Two CWU representatives selected for national leadership development cohort

For the last six years, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has invited a cohort of Hispanic leaders from institutions of higher education across the country to participate in its annual Leadership Academy, or La Academia de Liderazgo.

This year, two representatives from CWU have been selected to join the 45-member cohort for 2024-25.

CWU Eastside University Centers Regional Director Mónica Medrano and Health Sciences Department Chair Tishra Beeson will spend the next year engaged in a broad variety of leadership development activities. HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores noted that the Leadership Academy has built its stellar reputation on a record of success.

“The HACU Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo has a proven record of advancing diverse leaders within a wide range of higher education institutions, demonstrating the value of the program in expanding representation at the highest levels of college and university administrations,” he said. “We are proud of our previous cohorts in how they have moved into the upper ranks of academia with speed and fully expect this current cohort to match, if not exceed, our alums in successfully breaking into leadership roles across the nation.”

Medrano and Beeson follow in the footsteps of Associate Vice President of Equity and Belonging Verónica Gómez-Vilchis and Registrar Arturo Torres, both of whom were part of the 2023-24 inaugural cohort of the HACU’s six-month Enlace Mid-Level Leadership Program. As part of the Leadership Academy, this year’s CWU representatives will attend a series of webinars, along with three in-person seminars, the first of which will take place this month at the HACU’s 38th Annual Conference in Aurora, Colorado.

Medrano and Beeson will also have the opportunity for mentorship from a university president or senior-level executive, as part of the Leadership Academy’s overall goal to help Hispanic higher education leaders reach the highest levels of leadership in academia.

Beeson is excited about the opportunity to join a network of like-minded leaders from across the country.

“I'm so honored to have an opportunity to join this cohort of fellows for the HACU Leadership Academy/Academia de Liderazgo and to represent CWU alongside my colleague, Mónica Medrano,” she said. “We share a deep commitment to the vision-centered work of advancing equity and belonging among our students, our faculty and staff colleagues, and the communities served by our university. I'm really looking forward to connecting with leadership at other institutions and with the team of mentors to bring real, actionable, and energizing solutions back to CWU.”

Medrano shares Beeson’s excitement, and she hopes to use this opportunity to advance CWU’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

“I am committed to using my platform to raise awareness and advocate for increased opportunities that promote equity and belonging for the Latinx community at CWU,” Medrano said. “It is essential to ensure representation in spaces where critical decisions are made. I plan to leverage this experience to secure a seat at those tables and create room for others.”

HACU, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain, and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI).

CWU is considered an emerging HSI, with approximately 23% of its student body identifying as Latinx. The university hopes to achieve HSI status within the next two to three years, and is currently developing plans for how it can better serve a growing student population from Hispanic and Latinx communities, including those in the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys.