Since becoming a member of Our Woman of Our Lake College in July to steer communications, Teresa Niño’s place has already advanced some. Her title is now Chief Advertising and marketing Officer and Vice President for Advertising and marketing, Communications and Engagement, a place that oversees authorities and alumni relations, in addition to particular occasions.
The college’s advertising and communications staff had undergone main modifications over the yr previous to Niño’s arrival, going from a totally staffed workplace to an outsourced division. Her arrival constitutes a return to in-house operations.
Niño was 5 years-old when her household migrated to the USA from Tamaulipas, Mexico. Her household was solely the third Mexican-American household to maneuver into the Cicero suburb of Chicago, on the time.
Niño earned a communications diploma from Columbia School in Chicago and after a number of years of telling tales as a reporter, she modified gears and started work as a marketing campaign supervisor and press secretary for town of and mayor of Chicago.
She later served a number of roles within the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies below the Obama and Clinton administrations — one in every of which put her in control of the Inexpensive Care Act rollout, which aimed to achieve 7 million Latinos throughout the nation in a matter of months.
In San Antonio, Niño discovered a brand new dwelling practically 30 years in the past, working for the Port of San Antonio, later the San Antonio Specific-Information, and most just lately the College of Texas at San Antonio, the place she held the place of VP of college relations, a place she left simply earlier than the merger of UTSA and UT Well being.
Niño sat down with the San Antonio Report to speak about her profession and what has saved her searching for positions the place service is on the forefront.
This interview was edited for size and readability.
What caught your curiosity about OLLU?
I’ve labored at lots of locations. I’m very pleased with my profession. I really feel blessed that I used to be ready to take action many issues in my lifetime. However I used to be additionally at some extent in my profession, at my age, that I felt like I wished to do one thing that actually has affect.
I’m not going for a title, not going for an enormous wage, I’m not chasing one thing, however extra of a chance to provide again.
Speaking to (President Abel) Chávez in regards to the historic worth of Our Woman of the Lake College and historic worth of this group. We’re the primary Hispanic Serving Establishment within the nation and proper now there are about 500 HSIs and one other 500 rising. However we have been the very first one as a result of these conversations passed off right here within the 80s. And in 1968 hearings passed off right here to speak about civil rights.
That’s what attracted me to OLLU, as a result of I felt just like the group wants to reply once more with all this anti-DEI (Variety Fairness and Inclusion). We’re a Catholic college, the mission was established by nuns a whole bunch of years in the past — 130 years in the past — and the aim, the mission, was to teach the underserved.
So DEI or no DEI, we’re going to teach the underserved. That’s our mission.
What are a number of the private or skilled values that you just see mirrored in OLLU’s mission?
I feel from a scholar perspective, I wasn’t lucky sufficient to go to a four-year college. I used to be a two-plus-two child — I attended group school for 2 years after which went to Columbia School in Chicago. And there’s some issues to say about that, the similarities with a few of our college students at Our Woman of the Lake. However what I’ve realized is the nice worth of a four-year college, or what a four-year training does to a scholar.
One of many issues that I see with our college students — with lots of the scholars in Catholic faculties all through town — is to not confuse politeness and good stewardship with subordination. As a result of there’s tenacity, there’s a can-do spirit, there’s the truth that you’ve been capable of get up to now with all of the challenges round you.
I feel that’s one thing I felt for myself, additionally. It shouldn’t be shocking that the scholars from right here moved on to start out Centro Med and AVANCE.
Are you able to clarify to us your position and the method of bringing communications again to an in-house operation?
It was defined to me that there had been turnover on this division to the place there was a full advertising staff after which due to price range and different issues that was eradicated they usually moved to a contractor, however they wished to maneuver again to having somebody in home.
This lets you have extra perception, and extra management, over what is occurring in your individual establishment. My position entails being some extent of contact for individuals who wish to know us, having the ability to take a look at our tales and see which of them we will pitch to the media, to our school, to alumni and so forth.
Now I additionally may have in my portfolio the departments of presidency relations, particular occasions and alumni relations. I’m trying ahead to build up and fascinating our alumni.
In current tales we’ve realized about at the least 15 applications that have been lower initially of this yr attributable to price range constraints. Now that you just’ll be main the college’s messaging, what are a number of the challenges that you’re ready to sort out?
We just lately had a convocation, or a gathering, of school and employees to go over this and what we’re in search of this yr. Change is all the time difficult, so having the ability to come collectively once more and say, ‘Sure, that’s what occurred, and that is the place we have now to go now,’ that was a part of the gathering.
I consider it was 300 folks and we heard from everybody. And so this isn’t about, ‘Oh we employed a advertising individual they’re going to maintain that.’ No, it means school are going to assist college students keep enrolled, upkeep staff you’re going to verify all the pieces appears to be like fairly in order that the college is welcoming and alluring. Anyone who runs right into a scholar within the hallway, speak to them, greet them within the corridor. It issues.
Had been you in any respect hesitant to hitch a personal college that has needed to make these current cuts in programming, employees and school?
Under no circumstances. If something it’s what created pleasure and enthusiasm, as a result of there’s a lot alternative. Our Woman of the Lake has a lot wealthy historical past and legacy that it’s like I used to be saying, ‘Put me in coach!’
My success goes to be the college’s success, as a result of my position is to raise the college. So once you begin seeing extra of our tales in additional locations and extra folks speaking about it, that’s how I see my success. We’ve been quiet for a very long time.
Then in fact a real measure of success is, you understand, college students desirous to attend OLLU.
