Aaron Cortes, Northeastern’s director of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) Pathways, has been selected by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as a 2024-2025 Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo Fellow.
Cortes is one of 45 fellows from Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Emerging HSIs chosen for the one-year program designed to prepare the next generation of culturally diverse leaders for executive- and senior-level positions in higher education. Cortes earned a Capital One Fellowship Scholarship to participate in the Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.
“The HACU Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo has a proven record of advancing diverse leaders within a wide range of higher education institutions, demonstrating the value of the program in expanding representation at the highest levels of college and university administrations,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “We are proud of our previous cohorts in how they have moved into the upper ranks of academia with speed and fully expect this current cohort to match if not exceed our alums in successfully breaking into leadership roles across the nation.”
Cortes earned a bachelor's degree from University of Illinois at Chicago in Pre-Law and Latin American/Latino Studies, a master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from University of Illinois at Chicago and a master's in K-16 STEM education from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Cortes began his professional journey at Northeastern in 2003, serving as a college tutor within the GEAR UP Alliance and TRIO UBMS. In 2009, he was appointed as the director of TRIO UBMS. Since then, Cortes has been actively involved in the development of STEAM programs, grant writing, community engagement and teaching courses in the Department of Computer Science through Northeastern’s dual enrollment program, as well as undergraduate and graduate courses, including the Computer Science Endorsement program. In addition to serving as director of STEAM Pathways — which include TRIO Upward Bound, TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science (TRIO UBMS), and three 21st Century Community Learning Centers — Cortes is an adjunct Computer Science instructor in the College of Business and Technology. Cortes, also leads academic and cultural short term abroad immersions for pre college students along with the memorandums of understanding between NEIU and Institutions in Colombia which include Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Salazar and Herrera University, Secretary of Education of Medellin and most recently Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla.
As a result of his involvement in TRIO, Cortes served as the president of the Illinois TRIO Association for two consecutive terms from 2014 to 2016. Additionally, he was the president of the Educational Opportunity Association in 2019. During his period as president, Cortes served as a board member of the Council for Opportunity in Education from 2018-2020.
Cortes has earned a number of other prestigious recognitions, including being named an E. Kika De La Garza Fellowship (2014) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Latino Policy Multicultural Leadership Fellowship (2023), and fellow of the Emerging Leadership Program with the Chicago Council for Global Affairs (2022). Cortes was honored with the National Latino Education Institute's Emerging Leader Award in 2017 and the Educational Leadership Award from the Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education in 2023.
Cortes is the second individual to participate in HACU’s Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo program; the first was former Northeastern Vice President of Student Affairs Daniel López, who currently serves as president of Harold Washington College.
“It is a great honor and privilege to be selected as a fellow for the HACU Leadership Academy, and I am proud to be the second individual chosen from NEIU,” said Cortes. “This program will enable me to engage with Latina/o leaders across the country, exchange perspectives, and investigate approaches to address our most pressing challenges as we work to enhance support for our students.”
Top photo: A headshot photo of Aaron Cortes.
