Dear TADOHE Members and Friends,

We are thrilled to be in community with you all once again for another year. In the state of Texas, we are navigating a difficult time in higher education as we are witnessing the implementation of SB 17 and the overturning of affirmative action. We know it has been particularly tough for us as leaders and advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion. We have questions about the future of higher education, but TADOHE remains steadfast in its commitment to serving our Texas higher education practitioners and our vibrant student populations. 

 

In this new era of change, we are sharing our new executive board structure as transparency and communication are highly valued in our organization. We have adopted a co-president model with Florencio U. Aranda III, Ph.D., and Shawntal Brown, M.A., leading this state organization. Dr. Flo will be presiding as our external co-president as he will focus on fundraising and connection with external partners. The executive board leaders under Dr. Flo will be the following leaders: Dr. Elizabeth Wallace, VP of Legislative Advocacy, Stephanie Council, VP of External Partnerships, and lastly, Erika A. Briones, M.Ed, VP of Events and Program. 

 

Shawntal will be presiding as our internal co-president as she will focus on the TADOHE communications, marketing, and membership development. The executive board leaders under Shawntal will be the following leaders: Dr. Sridevi Rao, VP of Membership, Dr. Darius Jones, VP of Communications, and, lastly, Dr. Lee Juarez, VP of Student Development. Ultimately, we hope that this structure will allow us to be more effective for our membership, provide unique perspectives during this critical time, and be a community where all feel heard, valued, respected, and included. 

 

We hope you join us for our first-ever, TADOHE Talks, which will be focused on the Current State of DEI. We will share more in-depth updates regarding our state organization, how we will continue serving our education practitioners and students, and review the impacts of SB 17 on Texas higher education. We hope to see you on Thursday, October 26th at noon CST. 

 

We look forward to leading this organization and we hope to meet with you soon! 

Sincerely, 

Florencio U. Aranda III, Ph.D.

Shawntal Brown, M.A.