Luzelma Canales

Dr. Luzelma Canales is the Associate Vice President of Leadership Learning and Activation at the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED). Previously, she served as the Senior Associate Vice President for Student Success for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and the founding executive director for RGV FOCUS. She also provided leadership for a large-scale collective impact initiative to transform college readiness, access, and success in the Rio Grande Valley. She served as an administrator for over 25 years, leading numerous initiatives including Achieving the Dream, Breaking Through, and several with Excelencia in Education. Dr. Canales earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Pan American University, MBA from the University of Texas – Pan American, and PhD in human resource development from Texas A&M University.