HACU Leadership Academy

Press release

Connecticut State Community College (CT State) leaders Madeline Pérez De Jesús, Ph.D., and Manuel Gomez, Ph.D., were selected as fellows for the seventh cohort of Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.

The one-year program prepares the next generation of culturally diverse higher education leaders for executive and senior level positions. To be chosen, fellows must hold a master’s degree or higher and have at least 10 years of full-time higher education experience, six of which have been in supervisory roles.

“I extend my congratulations and appreciation to Drs. De Jesús and Gomez for their participation in this program, which demonstrates a strong commitment to leadership and equity in higher education,” said CT State Interim President Christina Royal, Ed.D. “It also reflects CT State’s ongoing dedication to cultivating inclusive excellence and supporting leaders who represent the diversity of our students. We look forward to the valuable perspectives and initiatives they will bring back to our college community.”

Fellows participate in development activities preparing them for leadership roles in higher education, especially within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs. The program combines in-person seminars, virtual learning, mentorship, an international component outside the U.S., and a transformative project to generate initiatives for the fellows’ home institutions. De Jesús and Gomez planned CT State’s HSI retreat held in 2025, which featured HSI national scholar Gina Garcia, Ph.D., and are co-leading CT State’s HSI professional learning community for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Tuition support for their participation in the program will be provided by the Capital One Foundation for De Jesús and by the Mellon Foundation for Gomez.

De Jesús, director of campus climate, has close to 30 years of experience in the field of educational equity work. She holds a doctorate in urban education from the CUNY Graduate Center, with scholarship focused on educational inequity and the use of capital across socio-economic lines.
Gomez, associate vice president of academic and student affairs operations, previously served as interim chief executive officer at CT State Housatonic and CT State Quinebaug Valley, with 28 years of higher education experience. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Arizona and completed post-doctoral work in community college leadership at the University of Texas, Austin.
CT State continues to experience strong growth in its Hispanic/Latine population. More than 12,700 Hispanic/Latine students are enrolled for the fall 2025 semester, representing 34 percent of the study body, a 12 percent increase from last fall, building on a continuing multi-year growth trend.

About CT State
With the merger of the 12 legacy Connecticut community colleges in 2023, CT State Community College (CT State) stands as the Northeast’s largest community college, enrolling nearly 60,000 credit students each year, and approximately 25 percent of all Connecticut college students. As the most affordable college in Connecticut, CT State is dedicated to making quality education accessible to all in a supportive and inclusive learning environment. CT State students benefit from a streamlined financial aid process and apply once to take classes at any campus. The college’s central office is located in New Britain. Visit ctstate.edu for more information.