Dr. Crystal Martinez Smith, Director of Student and Global Connections, was recently accepted into the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) 2025-2026 Enlace Mid-Level Leadership program.
This national program was created to support and advance emerging leaders in higher education across the country. Participants are selected for their demonstrated commitment to creating access and promoting student success in higher education.
“I’m excited about being accepted into this leadership program because it is an opportunity to grow alongside emerging leaders from across the country,” said Dr. Martinez Smith. “This experience will really strengthen my ability to lead with vision and purpose here at Tarleton State while advancing our shared goals for the university that I love.”
The Enlace Mid-Level Leadership program was established by the HACU’s Institute for Professional Development and Leadership to increase the number, variety and quality of leadership development programs for institutional members.
The six-month cohort will meet both in person and in online seminars to discuss various topics, including academic and student affairs management, regional institutional accreditation, effective data utilization, higher education advocacy issues and personal interactions with professional search firm partners.
“Dr. Martinez Smith has led important initiatives exemplifying Tarleton State’s commitment to an exceptional student experience. She has taken the lead on our HACU collaborations and advanced our efforts to become a university within the Excelencia in Education network,” said Dr. Sherri Benn, Vice President for the Lozano Long Division of Global, Community, and First-gen Initiatives. “She brings a thoughtful, solutions-oriented approach to every challenge and is a true pleasure to collaborate with. She exemplifies the kind of leadership our institution needs to thrive.”
A proud Tarleton State alumna, Dr. Martinez Smith has dedicated more than a decade to advancing student success and institutional innovation. Her accomplishments include launching early college partnerships, creating forward-thinking programs to enhance global competencies and overseeing services that support first-generation students such as initiatives that help them obtain their first passport.
She earned her bachelor’s degree at New Mexico Highlands University and her master’s degree in management and leadership and Ed.D. in educational leadership from Tarleton State University.
