AUGUST 20, 2024 — Mary Hernandez, UTSA interim vice president for business affairs and senior associate vice president for administration and operations has been recognized as an honoree in the San Antonio Business Journal’s 2024 Women’s Leadership Awards program. This accolade celebrates women whose leadership and vision are shaping the future of San Antonio’s business and educational landscapes.
“This award affirms the tremendous impact Mary’s leadership has made on our campus community, especially with her work in driving institutional enhancement and advancing the campus experience,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “Looking back, her work was pivotal in navigating the pandemic for our campus community, and today, she continues to innovate to improve campus services for all Roadrunners.”
With a career spanning more than 25 years in higher education, Hernandez has been instrumental in supporting and developing UTSA’s administrative landscape. She oversees departments including People Excellence, Campus Services, and Risk and Emergency Management, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to operational excellence and institutional advancement.
Prior to her tenure at UTSA, Hernandez served as the president's chief of staff and board liaison at Texas Southmost College, optimizing institutional operations and governance.
Earlier in her career, she served as the senior executive director for procurement and Travel Services at Texas State Technical College, where she successfully led business process redesign projects, standardizing procurement operations and systems administration across 10 campuses.
More recently, Hernandez has spearheaded strategic initiatives at UTSA to ensure operational continuity and cultivate support services for the Roadrunner community. She formed the Recovery Operations team responsible for keeping our campuses safe during the pandemic, and currently serves as co-chair of the Campus Experience Task Force. Her work is fostering a vibrant and supportive environment at UTSA and contributing to the institution’s growth as a great place to work.
Last spring, Hernandez spearheaded UTSA’s partnership with Centro San Antonio and local transportation provider VIA to launch The Little Runner, a free, on-demand e-shuttle that serves UTSA’s downtown locations. The initiative is one of many that highlight her proactive approach to enhancing campus sustainability and the Roadrunner experience.
“At UTSA, our priority is to provide a safe and welcoming campus environment to support student, faculty and staff success,” said Hernandez. “The Little Runner is one example that demonstrates our dedication to providing innovative services to support our community.”
Hernandez also helped lead People Excellence’s efforts to launch an Employee Success Center. This new virtual hub of information and resources will soon expand into a physical space to support all UTSA employees. This initiative aligns closely with UTSA’s destination to be an innovative place to work, learn and discover.
Hernandez extends her leadership footprint beyond UTSA’s campuses by actively participating in professional organizations including the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers. Recently, she was selected to join the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Leadership Academy’s fifth cohort. Known as La Academia de Liderazgo, this highly competitive, year-long program aims to prepare leaders for senior-level and executive roles within higher education institutions.
By combining her roles as a mentor and as a leader at UTSA with her active participation in professional organizations, Hernandez continues to make significant contributions to UTSA and the broader educational community.
This year’s San Antonio Business Journal Women’s Leadership Award winners include individuals representing fields such as banking, law, real estate, arts and entrepreneurship. Honorees were celebrated at a luncheon earlier this month at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio.
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Each fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
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