Leticia G. Acosta

Leticia G. Acosta became Program Director of Subiendo: The Academy for Rising Leader and the Hispanic Leadership Initiative at the McCombs School of Business in January 2012; however, she is no stranger to The University of Texas or to the Subiendo Academy. Acosta served 10 years as Director of Alumni Relations for the Texas Exes, an independent alumni association for The University of Texas at Austin.

During her time at the Exes, she also served as Deputy to the Executive Director and was responsible for the association’s legislative advocacy program of 1600 alumni and friends, whose mission was to advocate on behalf of UT with the state legislature. Acosta’s responsibilities also included work with the Board of Directors, the governing arm of the Texas Exes, and oversight of the university’s 11,000 international alumni involved with chapters and networks around the world.

From 1997-2001, she served as chief of staff to then Speaker Pro Tempore and Dean of the Texas House of Representatives, D.R. Tom Uher. Her work with the higher education community enabled Acosta to tie her two passions, The University of Texas and Texas politics.

A native of Bay City, Texas, she graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. 

She has served on the Board of Directors for the Young Texan’s Society of the UT Club, and is a current member of the Texas Exes Hispanic Alumni Steering Committee. In 2007, Acosta was honored by the Texas Exes Matagorda County Chapter with the Distinguished Alumnus Award and a “Key to the City” from the Mayor of Bay City.

Phone: 512-232-6780

Vanessa serves as the program coordinator for Subiendo: The Academy for Rising Leaders and the Hispanic Leadership Initiative at the McCombs School of Business. Prior to that, Vanessa managed programming for the Center for Politics and Governance at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. She has also served as office manager for the Dean’s Office at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, where she served as the administrative lead for a large-scale renovation.

Vanessa’s background includes research projects such as working with the Methodist Church in Santa Ana, CA on a community analysis and helping them identify their new role in the community. She also interned for the Narrative Pedagogy Project, developing a program to teach children about cultures to increase tolerance, and has worked for the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center as well as the Moore Multicultural Center at the Claremont School of Theology. She has also worked with non-profits such as the Hill Country Children’s Theater on business management and strategic planning.

In 2007, Vanessa graduated with her M.A. in politics and religion from the Claremont School of Theology, where she studied the way religion influences political decisions. Vanessa earned a dual B.A. in 2005 in history and world religions from the University of Texas at Austin and was awarded the Neil and Elaine Griffin Scholarship for her studies. She began her Master’s in Public Affairs specializing in international relations in fall of 2010.

Email: vanessa.stotts@mccombs.utexas.edu
Phone: 512-232-6778