HETS Bylaws, as amended on 2012, dedicate its Article III to the HETS Board of Directors. On this article establishes that the affairs of the Consortium shall be managed by the Board of Directors. Each member institution may have a representative in the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee, which leads the Board of Directors, is elected by Board representatives from member institutions. The term of service is two years, commencing July 1st and ending on June 30th, or until his or her successor has been elected or designated. Meet current HETS Executive Committee as elected on June 2022:
HETS Chair
Dr. Carlos Morales (watch here his interview)
President
TCC Connect Campus of Tarrant County College (Texas)
Dr. Morales become TCC Connect’s President in 2013. Before that, he was the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Distance Education Programs at Ana G. Méndez University- Virtual Campus. As such, he provided leadership, vision and planning for the implementation of courses and programs for online delivery.
Previously he was the Executive Director of Academic Technology at Lock Haven University responsible for the delivery of online courses, the incorporation of technology for teaching and learning, faculty development, the STEP program (a student laptop initiative) and also facilitated campus conversations on academic technology. Prior to Lock Haven University, Dr. Morales was the Instructional Designer for the Center for Instructional and Technological Innovation (CITI) at New Jersey City University, responsible for instructional technology staff.
Carlos has extensive online and classroom teaching experience in the areas of: Biology, Science Teaching and Instructional Technology. He also holds professional certifications as Distance Learning Administration Professional from Texas A&M University and Certified Online Instructor (COI) from Walden University. Morales graduated from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, with bachelors and master’s degrees in Biology and Science Education, and received his doctorate, with a dissertation on Constructivist Learning Environments in Online Course Design, from Capella University. He was a Frye fellow in 2009.
Dr. Olga E. Rivera Velazco
HETS Vice Chair
Since 2005, Olga E. Rivera Velazco is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the ICPR Junior College (ICPR). She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, a Master in Business Administration in Management from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the Sacred Heart University. Olga has over thirty years of experience in the administration of post-secondary university institutions.
She has been recognized with the EXCEL Award from the Association of Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico and with the Francisco (Paco) Oller Award, the most prestigious award granted by this association. She was also recognized as Service Sector Representative of the Year by the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association. In 2004, the Caribbean Business newspaper recognized her as one of the Powerful Business Women of Puerto Rico and in 2009, as one of the People to Watch.
Currently, she is the President of the Board of Commissioners of the Accrediting Commission of Educational Institutions (CADIE), Inc. She served as President of the Board of Directors of the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Puerto Rico from 2009 to 2010 and of the Caribbean Girl Scouts Council from 2012 to 2016.
Secretary
Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto (watch here his interview)
President
Southeast Missouri State University
Dr. Carlos Vargas became the 18th president of Southeast Missouri State University on July 1, 2015, after having served as acting president at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. He also served as the provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Kutztown, and was the school’s chief academic officer since 2006.
Prior to his tenure at Kutztown, Dr. Vargas was at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. He previously served in several roles at Kent State University (Ohio) for a total of 18 years, including founding director of the program on electron beam technology. He was also Kent’s associate dean for research, interim assistant dean for research, and he served as interim assistant dean for the School of Technology. He started his tenure at Kent State in 1985 as a professor, and continued to teach until his departure from the university.
Dr. Vargas began his career in higher-education at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), from which he received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. His initial appointment was as a senior associate researcher for the Institute of Geophysics, and he later held a similar position for the University’s Institute of Physics.
He earned his Ph.D. in physics and aerospace science from the University of Michigan and he has Master of Science degrees from Michigan in physics and aerospace science.
Treasurer
Eng. Gladys Nieves (acceda aquí su entrevista)
President
EDP University
Gladys T. Nieves Vázquez, professional industrial engineer, president of EDP University for the past 27 years, and businesswoman in various industries such as: rentals and hotels. She has led several initiatives in Puerto Rico, among them: positioning the island as an academic destination and has developed International Conferences on Education and Research issues.
One of the most significant projects as president of EDP University is the development of the Adult Modality of the associate degree in nursing (MAGAE – by its acronym in Spanish), educating non-resident nurses on the Island since 2008. Annually, more than 1,000 students arrive in Puerto Rico who contribute to the economy of the municipalities that impact among them: Hato Rey, San Sebastián, Manatí, Humacao, Villalba and Caguas.
Currently, she chairs the Board of the Center for Entrepreneurs, is the Vice President of the Association of Private Colleges and Universities of PR (ACUP), member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Private Education of Puerto Rico, Treasurer of the Board of Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS) and member of the Association of Products Made in Puerto Rico.
Owner of the Hotel Nest, located in the very heart of Río Piedras and a few steps from the Urban Train. In 2022, she made her debut as an author of the book Mamita: Con lo que me quedo with her sister, in collaboration with the EDP University Publishing House. In 2023, she co-author the book Women Who Lead – Reframing Perspectives.
Regional Representative East
Dr. Havidán Rodriguez
President
University at Albany, SUNY (New York)
Dr. Havidán Rodríguez was appointed by the SUNY Board of Trustees as the 20th president of the University at Albany in June 2017. He took office in September 2017 after more than 25 years as a leader in higher education. Dr. Rodríguez served as the Founding Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He also served as President, Ad Interim, and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA). Dr. Rodríguez played a key leadership role in the creation of UTRGV – which resulted from the consolidation of UTPA and the University of Texas Brownsville – and the creation, from the ground up, of UTRGV’s School of Medicine.
Dr. Rodríguez has received numerous recognitions and awards and has served on a number of committees for the National Academy of Sciences and on review panels for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ford Foundation, and was the Chair of the Latina/o Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association. His role in community engagement and service to the community, at the local, regional, and national level has been extensive. Dr. Rodríguez has served on numerous community, professional, and university boards, organizations, and committees.
Regional Representative West
Dr. Tomás Morales
President
California State University at San Bernardino (California)
Tomás D. Morales was selected as the president of California State University, San Bernardino in May 2012. He is the university’s fourth president since it opened in 1965. Previously, Morales was president of the College of Staten Island, The City University of New York (CUNY), since 2007. A staunch advocate of this university’s commitment to student success, he has championed the importance of access to higher education and preparing young people for collegiate success throughout his extensive career as a dedicated educational leader.
During his tenure at CSUSB, Morales has overseen sustained growth in overall enrollment, the number of degrees awarded, community engagement and university fundraising. The face of the institution is also expanding with its five-year strategic plan well underway, including the new Coyote Village residence hall and Coyote Commons dining hall, the largest single construction project in university history.
International Representative
Dr. Maritza Rondón Rangel
Chancellor
Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia
Maritza Rondón Rangel, who served as Director of Quality for Higher Education of the Ministry of National Education (2007 – 2008), Vice Minister in charge and who was linked to the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, since 2012, as Academic Vice-rector, became Nationwide Chancellor of the Institution since 2015. The University Assembly appointed the Academician to continue with the institution’s consolidation process, whose immediate challenges this year are: to accredit more than 20 undergraduate programs with high quality and to inaugurate modern infrastructure works in the Bucaramanga headquarters, Santa Marta, Espinal and Medellín. Rondón continued to lead the Strategic Plan “Navigating Together” that sets goals for 2022 and whose basic objective is to make the Cooperative University of Colombia a world-class institution. Rondón Rangel, is at the head of the institution that today has 18 branches, 52 thousand students, 4,500 professors and more than 220 programs with qualified registration.