In honor of International Women’s Day, Her Campus would like to take the time to showcase some of the amazing women who are making a difference not only for our university, but in the world. These women are inspirations in every way, and prove that women (especially those are UTSA) are capable of anything and everything! The next time you see any one of these amazing women on campus, it’s okay to toally fan girl, and bask in their awesomeness!
Dr. Laura I. Rendon
Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
A native of Laredo, Texas Rendón’s passion is assisting students who, like her, grew up in poverty with hopes and dreams but not knowing how to realize them. After receiving her Associate’s Degree, Dr. Rendon from Laredo Community College, she went on to receive her Bachelor’s at the University of Houston in English and Journalism. She continued her higher education at Texas A&M Kingsville by obtaining her Master’s in Counseling and Guidance Psychology, and left Texas for a short while to get her Ph.D. in higher education administration. Since 2010, Dr. Rendon has been a higher education professor in COEHD. She has gone on to realize he dreams in helping lower income students, women, and minorities by developing the theory of validation, which colleges and researchers have employed as a framework for working with and affirming low-income students. She also developed a pedagogic framework called Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy designed to help faculty employ contemplative pedagogic strategies that emphasize holistic student development and which gear students toward goals such as social activism, service to others and personal and social responsibility. She is a published author and co-author of many publications and books focusing on these issues. in 2013, she was named the “Most Powerful and Influential Women in Texas” by the National Diversity Council! What a way to represent UTSA.
Lisa Firmin
Associate Provost for Diversity and Recruitment
Before coming to UTSA in 2010, Lisa was a 6 year member of the United States Air Force, and retired as not only a Colonel, but the highest ranked Latina Officer in the Air Force. At UTSA, Lisa has developed the first top scholar program combining merit scholarships with student enrichment experiences and has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of each incoming freshman class through a variety of Tier One Recruitment initiatives and collaborations. She also led creation of the first ever Presidential level diversity awards program for faculty, staff and students at UTSA. Firmin serves as co-chair of UTSA’s Veteran Student Advisory Committee, educating about the nontraditional veteran student and in 2013, she co-authored a book chapter titled “Serving Student Veterans at the University of Texas at San Antonio: Accomplishments and Challenges,” in Building Bridges for Student Success: A Sourcebook for Colleges and Universities. She co-chaired a Diverse Faculty Recruitment Task Force which resulted in enhancements in the overall recruitment of underrepresented faculty at UTSA. She’s not only a highly decorated veteran, but she’s received some other pretty awesome accolades. Some of her notable achievements are: Bronze Star Medal recipient for her efforts to build up Balad Air Force base in Iraq, leading the UTSA Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program to national distinction as the Best Large Detachment in the Nation, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce National Latina Leader award, the Governor of Texas’ Yellow Rose award, the National Diversity Council’s Trailblazer and Most Powerful and Influential Women in Texas awards, Hispanic Organization for Public Employees Military Award, as well as the Northside Foundation’s Pillar of Character award. If she’s not super woman, we don’t know who is.
Dr. Lynda de la Vina
Director, Center of Global Entrepreneurship
With a distinguished career in academia and government service, Dr. de la Viña was the first Mexican-American woman at the secretarial level of the U.S. Treasury, where she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy from 1998-2001. Following her role at the Treasury, she joined Johns Hopkins University as associate dean of the Graduate Division of Business and Management, full professor and chair of the Department of Finance and International Business. Dr. de la Vina joined the Department of Economics faculty at UTSA in 1982 and was named executive director of the Institute for Studies in Business in 1985. She served as associate dean of graduate studies and research in the college from 1993-1998. She served as Dean of the College of Business from 2004-2012.
Dr. de la Viña was named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine, and has received both the Ford Salute to Education Award as well as the Jessie and Sue Oppenheimer Award of Excellence. She was an inaugural member of the advisory committee for the State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund, a $200 million fund created to foster innovation, research and job creation in emerging high-tech industries. She also completed a prestigious Kellogg Leadership Fellows Program.
She has co-founded several companies including Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) and Pronucleotein Biotechnologies in San Antonio, TX. Under her tenure, OpTech rose from a small incubator operation in downtown San Antonio to one of the largest minority-owned businesses in San Antonio. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors of OpTech. She also serves on the boards of the Center for International Private Enterprise, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the World Affairs Council; the Free Trade Alliance; and the Alamo Public Telecommunications Council. So basically, she’s ultimate career goals.
Lynn Hickey
Associate Vice President and Director for Intercollegiate Athletics
There could not be a more influential on our campus or in the world of intercollegiate sports than Lynn Hickey. A native of Welch, Okla., and Hickey graduated summa cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, with a bachelor’s degree in education. She was an All-American for OBU’s nationally-ranked basketball team and a member of the USA National Team in 1973. From there, she would become the head coach women’s basketball coach for Kansas State, and Texas A&M. She was inducted to the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2004 due to her leading the Wildcats to 5 consecutive national championships, and her 23 win per season record. At A&M, she started her rise into the administrative side of college sports as senior associate athletic director. Under Hickey’s direction since 2000, UTSA has captured three conference commissioner’s cups and a pair of league all-sports trophies while consistently winning both team and individual academics and athletics awards in all 17 sports sponsored by the university. She has been here for the induction of three sports, adding women’s golf and soccer, and eventually our football team. In 2007, Hickey was named to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, one of the most prestigious appointments in all of collegiate athletics. Hickey has been honored nationally and locally for her hard work at UTSA. She was named the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators 2005 Division I-AAA Administrator of the Year. Hickey earned her second national award in June 2006 as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics/ GeneralSports TURF Systems Division I-AAA West Region AD of the Year. The San Antonio Express-News tabbed her as its 2010 Sportswoman of the Year and she also was selected to and completed the Masters Leadership Program of San Antonio and Bexar County. In September 2011, she received the ATHENA Leadership from the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Hickey also was selected as National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators President-Elect and Executive Committee member for 2014-15. In a male dominated professional sports world, Lynn is an inspiration to every woman that not only can women can do anything men can do, we can do it better.
Laura Groff
Head Coach for UTSA Women’s Volleyball
The term legendary is a label one must earn, but the highly respected coach and player has done just that. A former All-American at the University of Texas, Neugebauer-Groff captained the Longhorns to four Southwest Conference Championships from 1982-85. In 1992, she was named to the league’s All-Decade team. She eventually graduated from Texas in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, and received her master’s degree in educational leadership from St. Mary’s in 1996. Her coaching record speaks for itself with, as Groff is the program’s winningest head coach with 257 victories and has amassed a head coaching record of 513-250 (.672) in 22 seasons. She most recently was recognized as the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2014, A member of the 17th induction class of the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in February 2011. UTSA has advanced to 13 consecutive conference tournaments and the program has been honored with the AVCA’s Team Academic Award four times since 2008.In 2002, the San Antonio Express-News named her one of its most-influential people in women’s sports. No wonder our volleyball team is such a powerhouse!