Our

Fidel Zapata President and Acting Treasurer Coordinator - UBMS University of Texas at Arlington

Phone: (817) 272-2633

Email: fidelz@uta.edu

D’Angelo Sands Past President Executive Director College Access and Outreach Texas A&M University - Corpus Christie Phone: (361) 825-5700 deangelo.sands@tamucc.edu

Lisa Gallegos Secretary Director Upward Bound Texas Wesleyan University Phone: (817) 531-5861 lgallegos2@txwes.edu

Valton Stinson President- Elect South Zone Representative Student Support Service Director Delmar College Phone: (361) 698-2400 vstinson@delmar.edu

Gayla Harrington North Zone Representative Director TRIO Talent Search Abilene Christian University

Phone: (325) 677-1444 x 8074

Email: gdh02a@acu.edu

TEXAS TRIO H Anniversary

FROM TEXAS TRIO PRESIDENT FIDEL ZAPATA Welcome!

Greetings Texas TRIO Colleagues and Friends,

On behalf of the Texas TRIO Association, it is an honor and a privilege to welcome you to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and specifically Plano, Texas for our 50th Annual Conference and Celebration.

As we reach the fifty-year point of our association’s existence, we reflect on how we have left our mark on the TRIO movement. Our theme, “Leaving Our Mark, 50 Years in the Making,” shows that we have accomplished a great deal since our inception. As a state, we are a leader in the TRIO movement, regularly reaching our fair share goals, bringing one of the largest member delegations each year to Washington D.C. for the Policy Seminar, and making sure to preserve and recognize our history, champions, and legacy for the future.

Our goals though are not limited to what lies behind us, but what awaits us on the road ahead. We must go forward, upward, and onward together. In this fiscal year, TRIO programs in Texas numbered 299, the most ever in Texas, serving over 76,000 students annually. Our work must continue to ensure that each student can reach their goal of a higher education and a better future, for themselves, their family, and their community.

I hope that you enjoy yourselves at our 50th Annual Conference. Our Conference Committee has spent countless hours preparing one of the greatest opportunities of professional development and networking that I have been a part of. One of the highlights of attending a TRIO conference is learning from each other and I know that our continued growth in attendance not only benefits you as an attendee, but also every student you work with in your program.

Lastly, I want to thank Immediate Past-President Sands and his team for their hard work, dedication, and heartfelt desire to have a great conference here in Plano. This past year as your President has been a pleasure and I look forward to the future of Texas TRIO as it continues to be on the forefront of advocacy, development, and leadership in the TRIO movement.

Fidel Zapata, M.Ed. Texas TRIO President