July 10, 2024

USDA Selects 2024 Class of E. Kika De La Garza Fellows

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities applauds the selection of 32 faculty and staff from Hispanic-Serving Institutions and three high schools from around the country as the 2024 class of E. Kika De La Garza Fellows to learn about U.S. Department of Agriculture services and programs benefitting them and students at their institutions. This program is part of USDA’s effort to equitably advance professional development opportunities and diversify the pipeline into public service and the agricultural sector.

Since the E. Kika De La Garza Fellows Program was established in 1998, USDA has hosted more than 400 faculty and staff, a key effort in strengthening relationships with Hispanic-Serving Institutions. HSIs are accredited and degree-granting institutions of higher education with a full-time Hispanic student enrollment of 25 percent or more. Currently, there are more than 500 HSIs nationally, serving more than 2 million students. All E. Kika De La Garza fellows are faculty or staff at HSIs or Hispanic-Serving School Districts. Most of the fellows are from HACU-member institutions (noted in bold).

The 2024 E. Kika De La Garza Education Fellows are:

  • Venkatesh Balan, University of Houston, Sugar Land, Texas
  • Cynthia Bejarano, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M.
  • Amanda Bogden, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
  • Hikmet Budak, Arizona Western College, Yuma, Ariz.
  • David A. Byrd, Coastal Bend College, Beeville, Texas
  • Reilly Caldwell, Adams State University, Alamosa, Colo.
  • Denise Crosswhite, California State University, Chico, Chico, Calif.
  • Lauren M. Dinour, Montclair State University, Montclair, N.J.
  • Maria Consuelo Donato Molina, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, Texas
  • J. Michael Gaspar, Mesa Community College, Mesa, Ariz.
  • Belen Gonzales, Hartnell College, Hartnell, Calif.
  • J.E. Jason Headrick, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
  • Joe Hinton, City Colleges of Chicago, Harold Washington College, Chicago, Ill.
  • Rafael Landaverde, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
  • Alyssa M. McKenney, Maricopa Community Colleges, Tempe, Ariz.
  • Liliana Oliveira, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn.
  • Franklin Ortega-Palaguachi, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, Ill.
  • Kitchka P. Petrova, Northern Arizona University, Yuma, Ariz.
  • Mayra Puente, University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif.
  • Jennifer C Schriber, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The 2024 E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellows are:

  • Mark Eppinger, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
  • Ivan L. Guzman, CUNY New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Akira Kawamura, CUNY, Hunter College, New York, N.Y.
  • Amir Ali Khoddamzadeh, Florida International University, Miami, Fla.
  • Cynthia Klobodu, California State University, Chico, Calif.
  • Santanu Maitra, California State University, Fresno, Calif.
  • Subhankar Mandal, Arizona State University, Mesa, Ariz.
  • Rosalyn A. Shim, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
  • Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy, The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas


  

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, 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 (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, California.

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