About SPC Leadership President's Corner Biography
President's Corner

Biography

Introduction

Dr. Adena Williams Loston possesses more than 40 years of professional leadership experience including spearheading a national agenda for education, engaging communities in addressing economic development issues, and providing organizational and institutional leadership towards workforce readiness and academic preparation. Dr. Loston serves as the 14th President of St. Philip's College our nation’s only dually-designated Historically Black College and Hispanic Serving Institution. She serves as the Chief Executive Officer responsible for providing overall strategic leadership and

management oversight, developing collaborative partnerships, implementing a performance budgeting model, implementing district priorities, and establishing and maintaining institutional effectiveness measures with and operating budget over $80 Million, plus $100 Million in grant and DOE funds; over 17,000 students, 4 Early College High Schools, 12 P-Tech High Schools, a Veterans Outreach and Transition Center, 3 military installations and over 800 full and part-time employees.

Through her strategic leadership and management oversight in 2018 St. Philip’s College received the Governor’s Award for Performance Excellence and the national Malcolm Baldrige Award as one of the Alamo Colleges. She has instituted the Planning Budget and Assessment Cycle, Resource Allocation Processes, President’s Academy, Department Chair Academy, Good to Great Strategic Planning Process, three Centers of Excellence; and provides oversight for $500 Million in new construction and renovated facilities. St. Philip’s College was named among the Best Community Colleges in Texas in 2023, named among the Most Promising Place to Work in 2021, 2022 and 2024; and named #4 on the Top Best HBCUs in Texas in 2022.

Dr. Loston has provided leadership service in the academy and in the federal government. Previously, she served as the Chief Education Officer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at its Headquarters in Washington, DC where she directed policy for $1.3 Billion and was responsible for the roll out of the Educator Astronaut Program, the NASA Explorer Schools and the NASA Explorer Institutes and as Director of Education and Special Assistant for Suborbital and Special Orbital Projects Directorate for the Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility.

Academically, she has served as President of San Jacinto College South; Executive Dean Valle Verde Campus and Transmountain Campus in the El Paso County Community College District; Dean Professional Programs and Dean Vocational Education, Budgets and Facilities at Santa Monica College in California, Associate Professor at Georgia State University and instructor and supervisor at Houston Community College. She has also taught as an adjunct instructor at Texas Southern University and University of Houston-Downtown.

In 2023, Dr. Loston received a Presidential Commission appointment to the White House Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. She is a three-time appointee by U.S. Secretaries of Education to the HBCU Capital Finance Advisory Committee under the Bush and Obama administrations,

a member of the National Strada HBCU Advisory Council, an Advisory Trustee for the Southwest Research Institute, a member of the Presidents’ Round Table; member of the Quality Texas Foundation Board of Directors, KLRN Endowment Fund Board of Trustees, and the Alamo Collegiate Network Board. Previously, she served as a member of the San Antonio Area Foundation Board of Directors and the Greater SATX Executive Committee.

Education

Dr. Loston is the product of a historically black college, Alcorn State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1973. She received her Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Bowling Green State University in 1974 and 1979 respectively. She also attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University in 1996; the Oxford Roundtable at Oxford University in 2001; and the Wharton School of Business in 2005.

Awards, Achievements, and Recognitions

Dr. Loston is a Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Alcorn State University National Alumni Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has established scholarships at Alcorn State University and St. Philip’s College in support of students. Dr. Loston is honored to be the top employee donor for the Alamo Colleges for the past eight years.

She is the author of “The Ark of My Leadership Experiences.

Her recognitions include:

  • An Honorary Doctor of Science from Wiley College
  • The W.E.B. DuBois Higher Education Award
  • The Leadership Award from the Higher Education Commission of The National Alliance of Black School Educators
  • The Purple & Gold Leadership Award, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
  • The La Prensa Foundation Outstanding Women in Action Education Award
  • The Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Exceptional Achievement Award
  • The Exceptional Achievement Medal, National Aeronautics & Space Administration
  • The Medal for Outstanding Leadership, National Aeronautics & Space Administration
  • The Group Achievement Award, Educator Astronaut Program, National Aeronautics & Space Administration
  • The Group Achievement Award, NASA Explorer Schools Program, National Aeronautics & Space Administration
  • The Group Achievement Award, NASA’s Centennial of Flight Team, National Aeronautics & Space Administration

Other awards and recognitions include:

  • Community Award for Commitment from the International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows, Inc. - April 27, 2024
  • Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Tribute to Women Business Leaders, 2024
  • San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Trailblazer Award, 2024
  • Alamo City Black Chamber Pinnacle Award for Leadership Excellence, 2024
  • San Area African American Community Fund Legend Award, 2024
  • IAMWMW Community Award of Commitment, 2024
  • Hall of Fame 2021 Class of HBCU Alumni
  • 2021 UNCF Excellence in Education Award
  • Named One of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2021
  • Les Dames d'Escoffier Legacy Award
  • Alcorn State University Metro-Jackson Alumni Chapter - Leadership Legends Award
  • University Health Systems - 2019 Wall of Honor Inductee, Heart of Care Award
  • The CPS Energy Amazing Energy Award
  • San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame Inductee
  • The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s Shirley B. Gordon International Presidential Award of Distinction
  • Educator's Hall of Fame from the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc
  • The NAACP Daisy Bates Education Advocacy Award
  • The Accomplished Graduate Award from Bowling Green State University
  • The Strong-Turner Alumni Chapter and Arkansas State University Award for Outstanding Leadership
  • The Education Technology Think Tank (ET3) Tec Champion Award
  • The Distinguished Alumni Award, Alcorn State University, Dallas Alumni Chapter
  • The Distinguished Alumni Award, Alcorn State University, Washington D.C.
  • Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education Presidential Award 1997 and 2007

National and Community Engagement:

  • Commissioner, Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans
  • Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Commission on the Status of Women
  • San Antonio Economic Development Foundation Executive Committee
  • The President’s Advisory Board for Title III Administrators
  • The HBCU Capital Finance Advisory Committee
  • An Advisory Trustee for the Southwest Research Institute
  • Member of the Presidents’ Round Table
  • The San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame
  • The EastPoint/Promise Zone Coordinating Council
  • The Eastside Promise Neighborhood Advisory Council
  • The Alamo City Chamber of Commerce Boards of Directors
  • The Master’s Leadership Program Board of Directors
  • The San Antonio Area Foundation Board of Directors
  • The Quality Texas Foundation Board of Directors
  • The ConnectSA Advisory Committee

Legacy

She is the mother of one son, Gilbert Williams Loston, III, married to Valentine; and grandmother to her namesake, Valentina Adena Loston. All reside in Houston.