EL PASO, TX – October 9, 2019 – On Thursday, October 3, 2019, the office of Governor Greg Abbott announced the appointment of Emma W. Schwartz, President of the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation (MCA), to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for a term set to expire on August 31, 2025.

The mission of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (www.thecb.state.tx.us) is to provide leadership and coordination for the higher education system in the State of Texas. Through the state’s higher education strategic plan named 60X30TX, launched in 2015, the THECB hopes to position Texas among the highest achieving states in the country and maintain its global competitiveness. The overarching goal of the plan is to have 60 percent of young adults (25-34) in Texas hold some type of postsecondary credential by 2030.

Emma Schwartz, along with being the President of the MCA, is a director on the board of WestStar Bank where she chairs the Audit Committee. She is on the board of and the former board chair of the PDN Center of Hope anti-human trafficking organization, the chair of the Youth and Education Committee for Workforce Solutions Borderplex, and a founding director of Progress321, a young professional’s organization. She is also the co-chair of El Paso’s chapter of Stanford OVAL. Formerly, she served on the selection committee for the TTUHSC El Paso Founding President, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Emerging Leaders Council, the board of La Fe Preparatory School. She is also a member of the Borderplex Alliance, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, El Paso Chamber, Texas Healthcare and Biosciences Institute and InBIA. In 2016, she was inducted into the El Paso Business Hall of Fame, and she was named 2017’s El Pasoan of the Year.

“It is a great honor to be appointed to this prestigious and impactful board,” says Ms. Schwartz. “I have dedicated my career to healthcare, innovation and advanced manufacturing – all of which are inextricably tied to higher education and the research that occurs in our universities. I hope that my professional experiences can positively impact the work of this board to ensure that Texas is a global leader in delivering higher education that is linked to creating a resilient and innovative economy for today and tomorrow.”