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Vice President of Educational Outreach, Arizona State University

Beatriz Rendón is Vice President of Educational Outreach and Student Services at Arizona State University (ASU), where she is responsible for building and diversifying the pipeline of college-going students into ASU. She also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of ASU Preparatory Academy, ASU’s innovative, PreK-12 public charter school, currently serving over 2000 students. The schools are located in two principal geographic locations, one urban and one suburban. The urban location was a “turnaround” school which was inherited as a failing school in 2009 with 75% of the student population coming from low socio-economic backgrounds. Today, the demographics remain, however over three-quarters of the students meet or exceed state reading standards and two-thirds of the students meet or exceed state math standards, surpassing state averages in several areas. The suburban schools outpace state averages in every content area, ranking among the top performing schools in the state. The four-year graduation rate is 98%, with 100% of its students enrolled in a post-secondary option, mostly pursuing 4-year university degrees, but also two-year and military pathways. Through its involvement in K-12 public education, ASU demonstrates that all students from all socio-economic backgrounds can achieve a four-year university degree, compete globally and contribute to their communities. As the former Executive Director of Strategic Alliances for the Critical Path Institute, Beatriz provided leadership and philanthropic development support to scientific researchers working on pre-competitive biomarkers for important diseases. Beatriz also served as the Chief Business Officer for the Tucson Unified School District, the second largest district in Arizona, where she managed an operating budget of $360 million and helped resolve multi-million dollar deficits. From 1995-2007 Beatriz worked in several executive capacities at the Chicago Public Schools, the third largest school district in the country, including leading “Renaissance 2010,” an initiative that launched in 2005 with the goal of opening 100 new, independently operated schools by 2010. Beatriz is originally from El Paso, Texas. A first-generation college student, Beatriz has a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arizona in Political Science. She is fluent in Spanish, and is also an accomplished saxophonist. Beatriz and her husband are the proud parents of five children ages 8 to 16.