Naydeen González-De Jesús
2022-23 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow
Dr. Naydeen González-De Jesús harnesses a unique blend of international public diplomacy, research and higher education experience to drive sustainable change management as executive vice president, student success at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).
She believes in empowering her team with data to drive systemic change centered on equity and excellence — and she believes in the power of education as the greatest equalizer. At MATC, González-De Jesús puts this philosophy into action, bringing together academics and student services in a new structure to ensure collaborative strategy and implementation that improves students' educational experience and their preparation for post-graduation success. She oversees the vice presidents of enrollment management, learning, and retention and completion, as well as the executive directors of the three regional campuses while playing a vital role in the college’s commitment to the nationally-recognized Guided Pathways framework to help more students succeed.
González-De Jesús served as a public diplomacy officer for the U.S. Embassy in Argentina. During the 2018 G20 World Summit, she helped develop an education memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Argentina to expand collegiate partnerships, research and study exchange opportunities, and she liaised public-private partnerships to support Friends of Fulbright program participants. During her tenure at Bergen Community College that preceded her diplomatic service, Dr. González-De Jesús conceptualized and launched the Bellwether award-nominated Project Graduation. This program improved retention and graduation rates year after year and developed clear pathways towards transfer and workforce entry.
A Leadership Fellow of the National Community College Hispanic Council, González-De Jesús holds a doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from Northcentral University in Arizona, a master’s degree in student personnel services from Rowan University in New Jersey, and a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University.
She believes in empowering her team with data to drive systemic change centered on equity and excellence — and she believes in the power of education as the greatest equalizer. At MATC, González-De Jesús puts this philosophy into action, bringing together academics and student services in a new structure to ensure collaborative strategy and implementation that improves students' educational experience and their preparation for post-graduation success. She oversees the vice presidents of enrollment management, learning, and retention and completion, as well as the executive directors of the three regional campuses while playing a vital role in the college’s commitment to the nationally-recognized Guided Pathways framework to help more students succeed.
González-De Jesús served as a public diplomacy officer for the U.S. Embassy in Argentina. During the 2018 G20 World Summit, she helped develop an education memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Argentina to expand collegiate partnerships, research and study exchange opportunities, and she liaised public-private partnerships to support Friends of Fulbright program participants. During her tenure at Bergen Community College that preceded her diplomatic service, Dr. González-De Jesús conceptualized and launched the Bellwether award-nominated Project Graduation. This program improved retention and graduation rates year after year and developed clear pathways towards transfer and workforce entry.
A Leadership Fellow of the National Community College Hispanic Council, González-De Jesús holds a doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from Northcentral University in Arizona, a master’s degree in student personnel services from Rowan University in New Jersey, and a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University.