The Austin College Posey Leadership Award
Austin College formally launched its Austin College Leadership Award in 2005, naming its first honoree in 2006. Made possible through the generosity of Sally and Lee Posey of Dallas, the award name was amended upon Lee’s death in 2008 to add the Posey to the title. The Austin College Posey Leadership Award honors an outstanding individual who has demonstrated the principles of servant leadership by:
- taking a courageous stand on a public policy issue that advances a humanitarian or educational purpose; or
- serving the youth of a state, nation, or international community to improve the quality of health, educational, or community services; or
- by creating opportunities for young people that help them enhance their educational experience and move to a new level of service to society.
In 2021, the Posey Leadership Award re-launched as the Austin College Posey Leader-In-Residence Series to drive deeper student engagement with the award recipient. In addition to a keynote address and award presentation in the spring, the Posey Leader-In-Residence meets virtually with students and faculty throughout the academic year to explore multiple topics and build connections.
2023 Recipient Sylvia Acevedo
The 2023 Austin College Posey Leader-in-Residence and Leadership Award Recipient is Sylvia Acevedo. Sylvia earned a B.A. in industrial engineering from New Mexico State University and an M.S. in systems engineering from Stanford University - one of the first Hispanic students, male or female, to do so. Over the course of her career, she has spent time as an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an executive at tech giants such as Apple, Dell, and IBM, and as an advocate for educational equality. Acevedo is a founding member of the Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders in Austin, Texas, and in 2010 she was appointed by President Barack Obama as the chair of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics in Early Childhood. Most recently, Sylvia served as a board member and CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. A former Girl Scout herself, Sylvia facilitated the largest badge rollout in the organization's history, introducing more than one hundred new programs in Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and more.
- One of Forbes’ “Top 50 Women in Tech”
- Latino Leaders Magazine “100 Most Influential Latinas”
- 2018 Cybersecurity Person of the Year
- Recipient of the Ohtli Award, the Mexican government’s highest honor for a non-citizen
As our 2023 Posey Leader-In-Residence, Sylvia will join the Austin College community for four interactive Zoom sessions over the course of the year. These sessions will allow her to share expertise on a variety of topics including servant-leadership, careers in engineering, women in STEM, and the power of the nonprofit. On April 13th, 2023, Austin College will honor Sylvia Acevedo as the 2023 recipient of the Austin College Posey Leadership Award at a campus-wide presentation award and keynote address.
2022 Recipient Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa
On April 14, 2022, Austin College honored Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa as the 2022 recipient of the Austin College Posey Leadership Award and our very first Posey Leader-in-Residence. Dr. Q serves as the chair of neurologic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also an author, prominent brain cancer researcher, and the co-founder and president of the nonprofit mission:brain (Bridging Resources and Advancing International Neuroscience), which provides neurosurgical expertise and resources to patients around the world.
- 2006 Howard Hughes Institute - Physician-Scientist Career Award
- 2008 Olender Foundation - America's Role Model Award
- 2015 Forbes, World's Most Creative Mexicans, and one of Mexico’s most brilliant minds in the world
As our Leader-In-Residence, Dr. Q has joined faculty, staff, and students in four virtual Zoom sessions throughout the year, November through March. Hosted by our faculty, the sessions have touched topics from getting in to Med School as a first-gen student, leadership, immigration, and what it’s like to be both a physician and a researcher.