Since the 1970s, Dr. Sally J. Andrade feels privileged to have been an IDRA employee who was subsequently invited to serve on the organization’s board. IDRA’s mission to achieve equitable, excellent education for all children and IDRA’s accomplishments continue to inspire her.
After completing her academic education, Dr. Andrade developed a bilingual/multicultural framework of consultation and technical services in program planning and evaluation. She worked with a wide variety of community-based organizations and government agencies throughout the southwestern United States and Latin America in health promotion, family planning and maternal health, as well as prevention of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. She also taught psychology classes in the Houston Community College and Austin Community College.
From 1988 to 1993, Dr. Andrade was director of research and planning for the state’s community college system at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. A primary goal involved coordination with the Texas Department of Commerce and the Texas Education Agency to better align statewide plans for workforce development.
As the founder director of the Center for Institutional Research, Planning and Evaluation for the University of Texas at El Paso, Dr. Andrade led the UTEP institutional effectiveness system, strategic planning and regional accreditation from 1993 to 2004. Her responsibilities included major research on student persistence and institutional factors that influence higher education academic success. Dr. Andrade also served as a senior research associate for Excelencia in Education, Washington, D.C. Her community service included being president of AVANCE-El Paso, vice president of the El Paso YWCA, and volunteer for La Mujer Obrera.
Following UTEP retirement, she managed Andrade & Associates, Inc., a specialized consulting firm in El Paso that provided bilingual/multicultural program planning and evaluation assistance in secondary education and health promotion. Her clients included community-based organizations and government agencies aiming to empower low-income families and their neighborhoods.
Dr. Andrade is the author of several books and numerous articles related to her professional work and volunteer service. She now lives in San Antonio and volunteers with the Spanish division of CellarBooks, San Antonio Central Library’s used bookstore.
Dr. Andrade’s bachelor’s degree is from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and her master’s in social psychology from Trinity University. The University of Texas at Austin awarded her the Ph.D. in community psychology.
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