Dinorah Olmos

Dinorah Olmos

President and Ceo, Latino Education Advancement Fund

Born and raised in Mexico, Dinorah Olmos moved to California in 1982. She worked in a variety of academic programs, as well as produced and hosted an educational segment targeting Latino parents and children for a local television morning show.

In 2004, Olmos earned her master’s degree in leadership and organizational studies at Fresno Pacific University.

After moving to Maryland, she worked as site director for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Mexico and founded the Latino Education Advancement Fund in September 2016, a nonprofit organization that provides Latino parents with information, knowledge and skills needed to navigate local educational systems.

What is the biggest challenge facing higher education?

Student retention and completion rates. Fewer students attending universities, less people wanting what higher education offers, new college options with pledging faster and cheaper ways to careers. However, the students are not ready because they don’t know how to manage their time to study, understanding course content and maintaining a high degree of motivation. They often fight to balance academic demands with work, personal responsibilities and social experiences.

What is the most encouraging new development in higher education?

Learning from everywhere, all the time, and from many people. The flexibility to hybrid learning (hands-on of what they learned). More active learning and less lectures. More formative assessments (informal questions, practice quizzes, one-minute papers, etc. instead of high- stake exams.

What do you do to unwind?

I love to sit and watch a good movie. Also, work on my garden, crocheting, embroidering and painting walls.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Higher Education Power List for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.