In a region plagued with low high school graduation rates, Susan Valverde has been a staunch advocate for change so that more students finish high school, achieve postsecondary education and get the credentials they need to succeed.
Born and raised in Mexico, Susan came to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas when she was nineteen. She didn’t speak English, and experienced first-hand the challenges of navigating the educational system. Fortunately, she developed meaningful relationships with teachers and other mentors who, along with Susan’s parents, encouraged her – expected her – to attend college and pursue a career. The Valley has been home since 1990; and Susan has been personally invested in, and has demonstrated a tireless commitment to, seeing that students who face the same challenges have access to a quality education.
Commitment to Workforce Education and Community
Susan learned early on that you cannot separate education and economic development. Working at a bank while she was attending college, she became linked into a economic development group that inspired her to get more involved in education and workforce development. Unemployment in the area was higher than 20 percent. “The needs were great,” says Valverde. “The data at that point painted a dire picture of the region. It was a hard sell asking potential employers to invest millions in the community to create jobs, and I encountered a lot of resistance. Even the economic development sales team didn’t have statistics about viable job opportunities. We needed to knock down the high unemployment rate and reduce the high dropout rate. Clearly, we needed to invest in K-12 education and move the bar up from there.”
Using the Business Voice to Push for Change
Seven years ago, she became a Sylvan Learning Center franchisee. “Our services were only available within the four walls of the center, which didn’t match up with the needs of the community.” She had the opportunity to work with a pioneering school superintendent; and together, they identified two major barriers to delivering educational services: Some of the students were in a three-hour radius; and they couldn’t afford the Center’s educational services. They decided to write a grant, and bring services to the students. They got funding the first year; and were able to tutor on campus, provide college readiness programs (ACT/SAT prep), GEDs and adult education programs. Susan could now duplicate the model; and, seven years later, is working with more than 70 schools, serving thousands of students in the Valley. She also formed a previously unheard of relationship between Sylvan Learning Center and the McAllen Boys and Girls Club to offer after-school academic and extracurricular opportunities at several school sites.
Susan praises the Rio Grande Valley County government and the Chamber for understanding the connection. “Our economic developers and Chamber of Commerce are highly regarded in the community. They bring willing business partnership and community leaders to the table. They have been instrumental in helping us evaluate pathways that keep our kids motivated.” Several years ago, business leaders created the Academic Leadership Alliance, comprised of a select list of business leaders who need positions filled. The Alliance sends this list to teachers and counselors who develop curricula that match up to community needs. Students are provided with relevant answers and practical applications to what they study and how it might be applied in the working world. Some employers relaxed hiring requirements for student employees on track to complete their diploma, initiating a probationary period that allows them to get a head start on a career track. One of these students is now a manager at his call center.
Advocate for Policy Change
Four years ago, Susan teamed up with McAllen independent school district and the local community college. Together they created The McAllen’s ISD’s ninth grade initiative, which focuses on keeping 9th graders in school. The initiative includes a comprehensive education assessment, identification of each individual’s gap, and the development of curriculum around the findings. These 9th graders are on the high school campus half the day and the second half of the day is spent at South Texas (community) College, learning a skill and obtaining college credit in the process. They are graduating high school with a valid and valuable certification that leads to employment. Susan did not step away once the program was developed. Rather, she continues to play a key role in its success.
According to Chris Ardis, the teacher who nominated Susan as a business champion, she is known in most education circles in the Valley, the state and even in several places outside of Texas. “She is constantly discovering new ways to help children rise to meet her high expectations,” says Ardis. “She has formed partnerships with many school districts, and has become an expert grant writer, and teaches others how to write grants, so more schools can offer the reading and math programs that have raised scores and allowed students to experience incredible learning success.”
Susan currently serves on local school district boards and is a previous board member of the Texas workforce commission, created to address the more than 50 percent of adults 25 and up who don’t hold a high school diploma. Commission President and Executive Director Steve Ahlenius named her one of the top ten people to watch, and called her the ‘Champion of Education.’ She Started a GED program in conjunction with the Texas workforce commission and had a 100% completion rate and a 90%+ passing/attainment rate. She also hosts math camps every summer.
Advice for Business Leaders
Susan encourages business leaders to get to know their community. “Statistics that are scary are really opportunities,” she stresses. “Problems exist in every community; and you have to focus on the needs, not the problems. As community members, we have an obligation to do something; and it’s wonderful if it can be linked to your business. Don’t go in alone. Get linked with organizations that are doing a good job. Sit down and open a dialogue with elected leaders, and make educating them an important part of what you do. It can be intimidating, but without exception, I have found that they want to hear from constituents about what’s important in the community. I have gotten a lot of support, have been able to secure funding, and am inspired about what’s possible.”
"Elected leaders want to hear from constituents about what's important in the community."
Susan Valverde’s story offers a different spin on the role of the business leader advocating for change and shifting policy. From her early career in non-profit workforce development, she recognized that the region’s high unemployment and low graduation rates required a grassroots effort to shift the educational landscape. Now a business leader partnering with other community leaders and organizations, she serves as an exemplary role model and tireless advocate for raising educational standards, making postsecondary education a reality for students, and continuing to improve the quality of life in Rio Grande Valley, Texas.