Gil Lizalde accepted into New Leadership Academy

DSA News
February 13, 2023

The New Leadership Academy Fellows Program (NLA) is a partnership between the University of Utah and the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE). Congratulations to Gil Lizalde, M.Ed., the director of business services on his acceptance to the New Leadership Academy.

The New Leadership Academy (NLA) Fellows Program seeks to change the expectations that surround leaders, leadership, and leadership development across higher education. The learning strategies informing the Fellowship experience are premised on a recognition that the demographic, democratic, and discursive foundations on which modern higher education has been built are changing. Through several integrated programs and activities, which will include participation in a five-day summer institute held in Salt Lake City, the Fellowship experience will focus attention on what leaders do when they are in positions to influence events inside and surrounding their institutions.

The NLA Fellows Program, is a comprehensive program that challenges selected participants to accept greater accountability for their own leadership choices, the influence they have on those they lead, the success of their institutions, and the integrity of the system of higher education. Upon completion of the NLA Fellows Program experience, the NLA Fellows will acquire the following capacities:

• A new and clearer understanding of current challenges surrounding American colleges and universities.
• Sophistication in re-envisioning values and institutional imperatives that translate into dynamic, focus-driven organizations.
• Proficiency at managing change and effecting mobilization within and outside institutions.
• Acquisition of specialized knowledge and tools necessary to provide highly effective leadership within complex institutional settings.
• Recognition of the challenges inherent in meeting the responsibilities associated with equity, diversity, and inclusion as overarching concerns in U.S. colleges and universities.
• High level of commitment to the shared goals of the system of higher education and the profession.

Gil Lizalde, M.Ed. is the Director of Business Services within the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Houston where he oversees the financial, budgetary, and human resource functions for 23 complex and diverse departments. Gil received his M.Ed. in higher education from the University of Houston in 2019 and his BA in corporate and organizational communications from Northern Illinois University in 2001. Gil has been working in the finance and human resource fields in both corporate and nonprofit settings for more than 21 years and has found his true professional passion in working in higher education. Working in higher education has provided Gil with the experience and opportunity to develop himself professionally and pass on his experience and guidance to his teams and the students he works with in his role. Personally, Gil loves to travel, spending quality time with his spouse and three dogs, as well as supporting local nonprofit organizations, and serving as the Vice President of the Phi Kappa Sigma International Fraternity board of directors. He also continues to do research focusing on Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Latina/o/x student success, and Latina/o/x higher education leadership. For more information about the New Leadership Academy visit their website.