Dr. Celeste Guzman Mendoza has 30 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit management. In her current role, she oversees the following areas of Trinity University’s Alumni Relations and Development program: Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, Major Gifts & Planned Giving, Office of Advancement Resources, Advancement Communications, Donor Relations & Special Events, and the Administrative team. Throughout her fundraising career in higher education and nonprofits, she has worked with numerous Latino donors who have supported arts & culture, social services, the literary arts, academic publishing, archives and special collections, K-12 education, and higher education. Her passion for engaging Latino donors inspired her to pursue a doctoral degree in Higher Education Policy and Leadership; her dissertation explored how higher education institutes engage wealthy Latino alumni. She has published her research in higher education journals.

Dr. Sandie Palomo-Gonzalez has over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. While employed at a local nonprofit, she initiated the agency’s annual fund drive and coordinated various training initiatives, including a college and career preparation program for youth with disabilities. She then joined UTSA where she had the privilege of working with university students pursuing national certification in nonprofit management. From 2007 to 2023, while at the San Antonio Area Foundation, she managed two strategic grantmaking Initiatives, including one that received the Council on Foundations’ Critical Impact Award. Later, she developed and managed training programs at the Area Foundation to strengthen nonprofit leaders. Her passion for understanding Latine giving was ignited after she attended a seminar on ethnic philanthropy some years ago that led her to explore Latino alumni giving when completing her dissertation. Palomo-Gonzalez holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.