2022 HENAAC Awards

Education: Master’s, Interdisciplinary Studies in Biology, Geography & Education, The University of Texas at Brownsville; Bachelor’s, Geology, Tarleton State University. 

For over 25 years, Javier Garcia has overseen a multitude of university outreach programs, projects, and grants targeting underserved students. He has established collaborations with professionals from NASA, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and multiple institutions of higher education – all to benefit K-12 students in Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley. 

In 2021, Mr. Garcia took a position as the Project Director for a Department of Education grant with Communities in Schools of Cameron County. Communities in Schools is the largest, most effective dropout prevention organization in the country, helping at-risk students through partnerships with school districts in over 25 states.  This new venture will empower Mr. Garcia to tackle some of the most formidable challenges K-12 students face in the heavily Hispanic Rio Grande Valley.

His passion for outreach and service were demonstrated early in his career at the University of Texas at Brownsville (now part of the multi-campus University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) as the director of the South Texas Engineering, Math and Science (STEMS) program.  This university outreach initiative was established to link professionals, college students, university personnel and STEM programs with pre-college students and educators from local school districts and communities.

Mr. Garcia built the organization from the ground up, and proved adept at seeking, obtaining and managing multi-year grants to fund STEMS initiatives, including a 5-year, $600,000 grant from NASA.  Among the many activities organized were regular trips to NASA facilities, a cloud forest in Mexico, and other destinations that proved eye-opening for students who rarely left their small towns. The legacy of his many accomplishments endures in the form of the STEMS Alumni Association. As president, he continues to provide opportunities for professionals to engage with students across the Valley and expose them to a variety of career and higher education opportunities. 

He remains active with multiple community service organizations, including the GreenPower USA Foundation and The Order of the Brush.