Magnolia Hernández

Magnolia Hernández, Institutional Engagement Manager, Excelencia in Education

Magnolia Hernández

Institutional Engagement Manager

Current Position:
In my position as Institutional Engagement Manager, I assist with the development and implementation of outreach strategies and activities that help expand and deepen engagement with the network; I track institutional participation to help inform targeted engagement strategies; and I support the development and growth of peer-to-peer engagement within the network by helping coordinate affiliate convenings and other engagement opportunities.

Past Experiences:
Magnolia Hernández has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, having dedicated many of those years to matters of access and funding for students of diverse backgrounds at Hispanic Serving Institutions. Prior to joining Excelencia, Magnolia was at Florida International University for 13 years, where she held various roles, the most recent of which was Assistant Dean of Students at the FIU Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, providing leadership and oversight in developing and implementing interventions to help improve the college’s student success metrics in recruitment, retention, progression, graduation, academic success, and employment. Magnolia earned a bachelor’s in Writing from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Indiana State University.

Why are you bringing your talent to Excelencia?
After having worked with Hispanic student populations for so many years, I have learned that serving our Hispanic students requires a genuine disposition to be strategic in how we problem-solve and identify effective, and well thought out solutions that can be scaled to impact Hispanic student success in higher education at a national level. Excelencia is leading the way in bringing light to and further underscoring those impactful solutions. Thus, joining Excelencia was a critical step in my career as I looked towards both broadening my commitment to and deepening my learning of Hispanic student success in the US.

How would you describe working at Excelencia?
Working at Excelencia has been an experience of learning, growth, and excitement for what lies ahead. There is integrity in our approach, which helps us stay true to our mission as an organization that is transforming the higher education landscape by accelerating Latino student success in the US. There is confianza in how we collaborate with others within the organization and beyond. Personally, joining Excelencia has felt like a homecoming. To collaborate daily with colleagues who are passionate and steadfast in their commitment to impact Latino student success in the US, is a reminder to me that I am home.

HSI Lists: 2022-23 graphic, including 600 HSIs, 412 eHSIs, and 252 gHSIs with "Learn more" Button