Sylvia Acevedo Biography

Award-winning businesswoman Sylvia Acevedo is well-known worldwide for her efforts to address one of society's most challenging problems: equal access to education. Sylvia began her career as a rocket scientist at the Jet Propulsion Labs, where she worked on the Solar Polar/Probe missions and the Voyager mission's fly-by of Jupiter and its moons. She oversaw the development of cutting-edge manufacturing facilities at IBM, which became a global showpiece. She worked as an executive for Fortune 100 organizations Apple, Autodesk, and Dell while utilizing her technical knowledge in the technology sector. One of the first Hispanics, male or female, to receive a graduate engineering degree, she graduated from Stanford University with a Master's in Systems Engineering. Sylvia graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, and in 2010, the university recognized Sylvia as one of its most distinguished engineering alums. Sylvia is a national authority in organizing communities to boost family involvement in school and now serves as a Commissioner on the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics. While working as a technology executive at Dell Computers, what first began as a weekly hour of volunteer tutoring at a low-income school swiftly developed into a game-changing concept. With the help of this concept, a community mobilization effort, more than 25,000 individuals were contacted throughout America. That "A-ha!" moment gave Ms. Acevedo the realization that there were ways in which she could use her leadership and systems engineering skills to provide much-needed access to the same kind of community programs, like Girl Scouts and Head Start, that she had personally experienced as a young girl. Sylvia established the "Fitness Feria" after realizing the connection between access to sports and fitness activities and the rising health inequities in children from marginalized areas. These projects operated effectively in Austin and Los Angeles, giving over 27,000 kids a chance to play sports and interact with them firsthand. At the US ARMY All-American Bowl, the US ARMY honored Ms. Acevedo for her efforts in the mobilization drive. Over 250,000 households received books through Ms. Acevedo's distribution initiatives along the road, many of which were the very first books ever given to them. Ms. Acevedo spearheaded a community effort that provided over 25,000 toothbrushes and thousands of pairs of spectacles over three years to children who needed their vision repaired after observing youngsters unable to excel academically due to dental or untreated eyesight concerns. President Obama nominated him to the White House Commission for Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2011 due to his work in the educational sector. Other international accolades and recognition followed. Ms. Acevedo performs this duty as the chair of the Early Childhood subcommittee. Sylvia received the Ohtli Award in 2011, the nation's highest accolade for non-Mexican citizens who have contributed to civil rights due to her efforts in promoting parental engagement in school.

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