Antonio R. Flores, Ph.D.

HACU President and CEO

Antonio R. Flores is the president and chief executive officer of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), which was founded in 1986 and serves as the leading voice for Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Latino higher education. 

Overseeing all facets of the Association, Flores drives the mission involving advocacy and policy, external affairs, strategic planning, and governance, drawing upon his extensive professional experience in higher education. He leads HACU from its headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, with additional offices in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, California. 

Flores became HACU’s third president/CEO on February 26, 1996. Under his leadership, HACU has tripled its membership, budget, and programs; greatly improved and advanced legislation for HSIs, including increased federal funding to more than $5 billion cumulatively; and secured millions of dollars in new private funding for HSIs and associate members during his tenure.

Flores is a member of several national boards and coalitions such as the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, the American Educational Research Association, and Independent Sector. He has served as chair of various organizations, including the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education. Flores has also served on the boards of the American Council on Education, National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the National Commission on the Workforce of the American Hospital Association.

He has received numerous honors and recognitions for his contributions to higher education including honorary doctorates from Madonna University, New Jersey City University, Notre Dame de Namur University, Western Michigan University, and Woodbury University.

Flores earned a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He holds a master’s in counseling and personnel from Western Michigan University, and bachelor’s degrees in business administration and elementary education from Universidad de Guadalajara and Centro Normal Regional, Mexico, respectively.