SABJ honors Mary Hernandez with 2024 Women’s Leadership Award

Prior to her tenure at UTSA, Hernandez served as the president's chief of staff and board liaison at Texas Southmost College, optimizing institutional operations and governance.

Earlier in her career, she served as the senior executive director for procurement and Travel Services at Texas State Technical College, where she successfully led business process redesign projects, standardizing procurement operations and systems administration across 10 campuses. 

More recently, Hernandez has spearheaded strategic initiatives at UTSA to ensure operational continuity and cultivate support services for the Roadrunner community. She formed the Recovery Operations team responsible for keeping our campuses safe during the pandemic, and currently serves as co-chair of the Campus Experience Task Force. Her work is fostering a vibrant and supportive environment at UTSA and contributing to the institution's growth as a great place to work.

Last spring, Hernandez spearheaded UTSA's partnership with Centro San Antonio and local transportation provider VIA to launch The Little Runner, a free, on-demand e-shuttle that serves UTSA's downtown locations. The initiative is one of many that highlight her proactive approach to enhancing campus sustainability and the Roadrunner experience.

"At UTSA, our priority is to provide a safe and welcoming campus environment to support student, faculty and staff success," said Hernandez. "The Little Runner is one example that demonstrates our dedication to providing innovative services to support our community."

Hernandez also helped lead People Excellence's efforts to launch an Employee Success Center. This new virtual hub of information and resources will soon expand into a physical space to support all UTSA employees. This initiative aligns closely with UTSA's destination to be an innovative place to work, learn and discover.

Hernandez extends her leadership footprint beyond UTSA's campuses by actively participating in professional organizations including the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers. Recently, she was selected to join the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Leadership Academy's fifth cohort. Known as La Academia de Liderazgo, this highly competitive, year-long program aims to prepare leaders for senior-level and executive roles within higher education institutions.