Dr. Henrietta Muñoz
Building Partnerships, Creating Opportunities
Dr. Muñoz rallying volunteers for a day of volunteerism at a partner campus in Edgewood ISD, 2023.
Dr. Henrietta Muñoz stands as a testament to the power of perseverance, community, and the enduring impact of education. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Texas A&M San Antonio Institute for School and Community Partnerships (ISCP), Dr. Muñoz has shaped not just a nonprofit but a movement that radiates hope, opportunity, and empowerment across Texas.
When Dr. Muñoz reflects on her journey, from her mother’s dreams in a small Texas town to her own role as CEO of the Texas A&M San Antonio Institute for School and Community Partnerships (ISCP), she sees education as “the great equalizer.”
But in the 21st century, Dr. Muñoz knows that access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) holds particular power to change lives and communities.
Dr. Muñoz’s journey begins in a small town nestled between Austin and San Antonio, a world where her mother, who was pushed out of school by her father at 14 and never completed her education. Yet, these humble beginnings became the source of fierce inspiration.
“She knew that education was going to be really important, and so she pushed both of us to really pursue education,” Dr. Muñoz recalls, emphasizing the generational dream to break cycles of poverty through learning.
Determined to fulfill her mother’s wishes, Dr. Muñoz pursued education relentlessly. Earning a doctorate in education, specializing in culture, literacy, and language, she made adult literacy and educational equity her lifelong mission. All while remembering her mother’s wisdom.
Students coding small robots at the Winston Intermediate School for Excellence in Edgewood ISD, Dr. Muñoz’s organization was a partner with this STEM campus in 2023.
“Nobody could take your education away, so get all that you can,” she shares. “And then number two, don’t forget where you came from, and make sure that you come back and help.”
Today, those values fuel her drive to give back, embrace her roots, and open new doors for the next generation of women. These values became not only the foundation for her personal life but also the mission that guides ISCP.
As the founding CEO of ISCP, Dr. Muñoz leads an organization dedicated to forging partnerships between schools, communities, and industry. The Institute, though based at Texas A&M University San Antonio, operates statewide; pioneering programs in both urban and rural areas.
Dr. Muñoz with family including her daughter, Illiana, and her. great niece, Isabella, and nephew, Obi, enjoying a day in San Antonio, TX, 2026.
“We are a nonprofit organization that was birthed and generated by the Texas A&M University Board of Regents and system,” she shares. “We are a statewide organization housed in San Antonio at Texas A&M University San Antonio, but available for all of the state of Texas.”
One of ISCP’s key collaborations is with the Driving Possibilities program, an initiative of the Toyota USA Foundation. The program brings education partners together with industry to open doors in STEM for students who may not have had previous access or exposure.
“Through the connections between the community, academia, nonprofits and Toyota, Driving Possibilities is tailored to the specific needs of each community to aide students in growing their awareness and understanding of future career opportunities in STEM-related fields,” said Colleen Casey, general manager of Workforce Development for Toyota Motor North America. “In San Antonio, the collaboration with Dr. Muñoz and her team at ISCP have been instrumental in addressing the educational and community needs to make a program like Driving Possibilities successful in the initial classrooms.”
Dr. Muñoz acknowledges the deep inequalities that exist. “Traditionally or historically, you understand that underserved communities don’t always have access to different opportunities or to varying opportunities,” she shares. That’s why she’s focused ISCP’s efforts on forging partnerships that open the doors of STEM, not just as an afterthought, but as a core mission.
Dr. Muñoz; Dr. Juan Jasso, Institute Board of Directors and former superintendent; and Dr. Sonia Sanchez, the Texas Association of School Administrators.
Austin, TX, 2025.
“The idea of bringing an industry partner, or a set of industry partners, to schools is really critical for leveling the playing field,” she shares. “Providing access to the students that we’re working with and being able to show that individuals who look like the student, work at the plant or work in that industry, or our astronauts, right? Or scientists, and they look like them. There’s a level of accessibility that we don’t always get to see in a school. I went to an elementary school where I had teachers who looked like me, but I had no idea what the breadth of careers were available.”
For Dr. Muñoz, it’s not just about visibility, it’s about aspiration, motivation, and real opportunity.
“It is important for us to hold the flag that we are inclusive, and we want to build belonging with everyone, but certainly the populations that I’ve worked with have really been with communities that look like me,” she notes. ISCP’s reach now stretches from early childhood education (“Early
Matter San Antonio”) to career readiness and workforce certification for high schoolers, helping students build futures not only through college pathways, but also through technical careers that offer immediate stability and growth.
Reflecting on her tenure, Dr. Muñoz admits the journey has been a “roller coaster of emotions,” but the wins far outweigh the challenges. From securing industry partnerships to passing education policies and supporting a resilient team, her leadership has been transformational.
To Dr. Muñoz, true success lies in having options.“At the end of their K-12 career, [students should] have the options that everybody else in the U.S. has,” she says. Whether college, technical careers, or other opportunities, she believes all students deserve choices, an idea shaped by her own family’s sacrifices and triumphs.
Dr. Muñoz with Texas A&M University San Antonio Faculty at Winston Intermediate School of Excellence in Edgewood ISD celebrating the revealing of a mural on the school building, 2023.
Today, Dr. Muñoz encourages every parent, neighbor, professional, and mentor to engage with local schools and students. Whether by visiting a school, reading to kindergartners, delivering backpacks to those in need, volunteering, or simply getting involved, her vision reaches far beyond the classroom, calling on the entire community to serve as stewards of educational opportunity.
(L-R) Dr. Muñoz; Dr. Socorro Garcia, Faculty in Residence; Dr. Cynthia Teniente Matson, President, TAMUSA at the time; Dr. Michelle Janysek, Deputy Director; Dr. Diana White, Faculty in Residence; receiving recognition from the Texas A&M University System for the distinguished Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators, 2021.
“Education is the great equalizer,” she shares. “I’m living the dream,” Dr. Muñoz reflects.