HispanicBusiness

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The Hispanic Scholarship Consortium (HSC) today announced the appointment of Octavio A. Hinojosa Mier to head the nonprofit organization into the next phase of its planned development. The community-based HSC and its partners are dedicated to providing financial and mentoring support to the increasing number of Texas' Latino students wishing to pursue a higher education.

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"Octavio Hinojosa Mier is a nationally-recognized executive in the nonprofit arena and brings a wealth of knowledge and success in fundraising, corporate relations and most importantly, a passion for increasing higher education opportunities for our state's rapidly growing Latino student population," said Dr. John Hogg, Chairman of the HSC Board of Directors.

According to HSC, state statistics indicate Latino children represented 91 percent of the public school enrollment increase over the past decade. At the start of the current decade, they were already over 50 percent of Texas' incoming kindergarten students. However, the most notable statistic is that a considerable number of these students are from low-income households; an issue HSC has committed itself to address and overcome if our state and nation are to produce a well-educated and productive workforce.

"I am proud to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading HSC toward its goal of becoming the premiere scholarship granting organization in the state of Texas," said Hinojosa Mier. "As concerned members of our respective communities, we must ensure the state's future workforce and leaders are not lost for want of the necessary funds and moral support to prepare themselves for a meaningful role in their respective communities."

Hinojosa Mier will work closely with HSC's 17 consortium members to increase scholarship funds for the 2012 HSC Scholarship Program and expand meaningful mentorship relationships among its scholarship recipients and professionals from across Central Texas and the surrounding areas.

He has provided his management skills to the Museo Alameda in San Antonio, the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Washington, D.C.-based Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), where he served as former and founding Executive Director. In the latter position he was recognized for his visionary leadership in promoting the U.S. Hispanic community as a strategic component in both domestic and international projects. He also brings extensive policymaking expertise gained with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. House of Representatives.

Hinojosa Mier holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas and a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University. He served on the Executive Committee, Hispanic Alumni Chapter at the University of Kansas; Board Member, Hispanic Council on Corporate Responsibility (HACR); Board Member and Secretary, Asociacion de Lideres Hispanos; and Board Member, Liberty's Promise; Board of Directors, Washington Catholic Forum. He is a member of The American Society for Public Administration.

About The Hispanic Scholarship Consortium:
HSC was founded in 2004 as a 501 (c) 3 organization in Austin, Texas as a consortium of dedicated organizations, businesses and individuals to leverage their resources in providing scholarships to area students. Since its establishment, HSC has awarded nearly $1 million in financial assistance to Texas students, which is augmented by a network of mentors that empowers scholars to graduate from college as workforce ready professionals. Over eighty percent of HSC Scholars complete their four-year degree. For more information about HSC, please visit http://www.hispanicscholar.org .


SOURCE Hispanic Scholarship Consortium