Ally Training for Faculty/Staff

Palo Alto College's Access, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Committee presents "Ally Training for Faculty/Staff." This professional development opportunity provides faculty and staff with information and promising practices for supporting and retaining students of diverse backgrounds. This is part two of a three-part series; participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions.

Attend the event

Presenter Bio

Jesse Silva is the Associate Director in Institutional Inclusive Excellence – Student Initiatives in Division of University Administration at Texas State University.  In this role he supports diverse and underrepresented students including males, LGBTQIA+, veteran and military connected, students of color, first-generation, immigrant (undocumented and DACAmented) and precollege students.

He is a member of the Alliance of Texas State, Coalition of Black Faculty and Staff, and Hispanic Policy Network, and serves on the Male Initiative Committee, Veterans Advisory Council, Bobcat Preview Planning Committee, and The Advisory Council for Monarch Center for Immigrant Students. He was elected as President of Hispanic Policy Network (FY2019).

He is a co-facilitator for Professional Development Trainings including the Allies of Texas State, In Limbo: Dilemmas Faced by Undocumented Students, Transitioning from Service to School: Helping Student Veterans Succeed at Texas State, and The Male Imperative: Supporting Male Students at Texas State.

He is a co-advisor to various student organizations including Asian/Pacific Island/Desi American Student Organization Council, Student Community of Progress Empowerment, Hip Hop Congress, Hombres Unidos, Black Men United, Underrepresented Student Advisory Council, Vietnamese Student Association, and Veterans Alliance of Texas.

He is a recipient of the VPSA’s Champions of Success Award (2009), Texas State Quarterly Team Award – Allies of Texas State (2009), VPSA’s Outstanding Contributions to Student Affairs Award (2008/2011/2015), Mariel M. Muir Excellence in Mentoring Award (2010), Veterans Alliance of Texas State’s Above and Beyond Award for Outstanding Service to Student Veterans (2016), Alliance at Texas State’s Intersectional Inclusion Ally Award (2017), Hispanic Policy Network’s Latino Star Award (2017), Texas State University’s Excellence in Diversity - Staff Recipient (2017), Student Foundation’s Foundations of Excellence Award (2017), and VPSA’s Student Affairs Outstanding Unclassified Employee of the Year (2017).

Prior to his work in higher education, he served as a case-manager for Southwest Key, Inc. where he reunited undocumented adolescents entering the USA with their families, a case-manager for Caritas of Austin in their Emergency Community Services Program, and tile-setter in his father’s small tile business. 

He received a Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Sociology and Masters of Arts in Sociology from Texas State University.  He is a doctoral student and member of the inaugural cohort in the Executive EdD in Higher Education Leadership program at University of Texas at Austin.

He is married to Veronica Silva, a Restorative Practices Associate in Austin Independent School District. Together, they are the proud parents of Esperanza Xinachtli Silva.