CTN Peer Mentor Anne-Marie Nunez has been named executive director for The University of Texas at El Paso’s Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success. The institute, named after UTEP President Emerita Diana Natalicio to honor her legacy of promoting student achievement, will formally launch this fall.

“Under Dr. Núñez’s leadership, the Natalicio institute will study and propagate the high impact practices that lead to Hispanic student success, including many developed here at UTEP,” UTEP President Heather Wilson said. “This institute will help shape the future of higher education in America.”

The Natalicio institute will serve as a national platform for researchers, thought leaders, philanthropists and policymakers to develop and evaluate policy and programs, advance innovation, and develop resources critical to accelerating educational outcomes among Hispanic students. Núñez will begin her role as executive director Sept. 1, 2022.

“I welcome the chance to join UTEP’s efforts toward the mission of promoting inclusive excellence,” said Núñez, a professor of higher education and student affairs at Ohio State University. “Dr. Natalicio’s visionary leadership and legacy inspired so many. I look forward to extending her approach to advancing equity in higher education.”

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Maryland, Núñez is the lead editor of the award-winning book, “Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Advancing Research and Transformative Practice.” She has collaborated on over $10 million in grants funded by agencies including the National Science Foundation to build capacity for inclusive science and research on Hispanic-Serving Institutions. In 2022, she was recognized in the Stanford Elsevier Scholar Index, which ranks the most-cited 2% of researchers in the world. Also, this year, she was recognized as an American Educational Research Association Fellow, an honor given to top scholars in the field with sustained exceptional research contributions. (https://www.newswise.com/articles/utep)