TC Alumnus Nominated to Lead Higher Education Services Corporation | Teachers College Columbia University

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TC Alumnus Nominated to Lead Higher Education Services Corporation

Guillermo Linares (Ed.D. '05)
Guillermo Linares (Ed.D. '05)
TC alumnus Guillermo Linares (Ed.D. ‘05) has been nominated by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to serve as President of Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), New York State’s student financial aid agency. HESC provides need-based grant and scholarship awards to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers every year. The nomination requires confirmation by the New York State Senate. 

Linares was a member of the New York City Council from 1991 to 2001, and a member of the New York State Assembly, representing Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill in Northern Manhattan. He served as Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs from 2004-2009.

“Guillermo Linares has spent decades in public service fighting to improve the lives of New Yorkers and expand access to education for all,” Cuomo said. "We're thrilled to have him join this administration and head this agency at such a critical time. I look forward to working with him to continue to move New York forward and make access to higher education a reality for all working and middle class students."

“The Governor has put forward a bold vision to make college affordable for New York's working — and middle — class families,” Linares said. “From reducing the burden of student debt and incentivizing on time graduation to providing New Yorkers with the skills they need to succeed, I look forward to working with Governor Cuomo to realize all students’ dreams of higher education.”

As President of HESC, Linares would oversee the Board of Trustees and HESC’s core programs, including the Tuition Assistance Program, the highly successful College Savings program, and numerous state scholarships including STEM and federal college access grants.

Linares began his career as a school teacher in Washington Heights, where he served on the local school board for three terms. He later helped establish the Community Association of Progressive Dominicans, the Puerto Rican/Latino Education Round Table, and the Parents Coalition for Education in New York City. He was also instrumental in the founding of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute at City College, the Audubon Partnership for Economic Development and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.
 
In 1995, Linares was named a member of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. President Clinton named him to chair the initiative in 1999.

Published Monday, Feb 13, 2017