So far, a woman has not been in charge of the White House. However, a woman is in charge at Palo Alto College. The college’s current president, Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, has been on campus since the fall of 2001, and is the college’s first female president.

“She is a huge asset to Palo Alto College,” said Charles “Charlie” J. Conner, Chair of the Alamo Community College District Board of Trustees.

Conner said Guzmán had turned enrollment around at Palo Alto, and has been a huge resource for obtaining grants to help Palo Alto grow.

“She is a very outgoing and energetic personality to work with,” Conner said.

Guzmán, originally from Havana, Cuba, moved to the United States when she was 13-years-old. Her childhood in Cuba was exceptional. She was the older of two girls and claimed that older girls tend to be bossier. One of the most interesting facts about Guzmán’s childhood was she spent a lot of time swimming. While living in Cuba, she won the National Championship for freestyle stroke.

Guzmán has had three main role models: her mother, Dr. Martha Frede and Dr. Nilda Garcia. Guzmán chose women as role models who excelled professionally but also managed a family.

Dr. “Cha” Guzmán greets Palo Alto Elementary students as they place items into a time capsule.
Photo by Jewelette Botell

One of her dreams as a child was to become a kindergarten teacher and with her first job that dream came true. Although Guzmán said that she loves teaching younger children, being a college president has been her all-time favorite job.

Guzmán received her bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education at Stout State University in 1968. Then she received her master’s in Sociology at Texas Southern University in 1974. Finally, she received her doctorate in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Houston in 1979.

Before Guzmán became the president of Palo Alto, she had other jobs that prepared her. She was the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Support Programs/Professor of Education at Texas A&M-College Station from 1992 to 1995, and Campus CEO/Vice President at Austin Community College’s Cypress Creek Campus from 1995 to 1997.

She was also the Executive Vice President in charge of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations for Austin Community College from 1997 to 2001. In addition, she was the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Education from 2000 to 2001, and she was appointed chair of President Clinton’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans from 1993 to 2001.

Guzmán has served on many boards and commissions, like the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). She served as a member of the Mayor’s Committee on Integrity and Trust in Local Government in 2003 and the Mayor’s Committee for selecting the new Chief of Police for San Antonio this year. Guzmán was recognized with the Ford Foundation’s Salute to Education Award in 2005, and she was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame this year.

One of the main reasons Guzmán chose to work at Palo Alto was because it was 68 percent Hispanic, and she enjoys giving something back to her community. In her five years at Palo Alto, Guzmán said that her proudest moments have been at the graduations. She loves seeing students in their caps and gowns surrounded by their families getting their degrees. It is one of the highlights of her year.

Guzmán attributes her success to persistence, job enjoyment, a liking of people, and hard work. She does not think that a specific time in her career pinpoints her success.

“I’ve always felt successful,” she said. “There isn’t a point where you realize you have succeeded. I’ve always felt I was climbing a ladder. I was helping my community by climbing that ladder.”

Guzmán said that the best advice she ever received was to trust yourself and your gut. She does not remember the bad advice, because she is the ultimate optimist and only remembers the good.

Sabrina Carey, her Administrative Assistant, said that she enjoys working with the president because it is always exciting and fast-paced.

Currently, Guzmán is married to her second husband, Gilberto Ocañas. They will celebrate their seventeenth wedding anniversary in May. She was married to her first husband for 13 years. Guzmán has two sons—the younger one is deceased—and she is expecting her first grandchild at the end of April.

When Guzmán is not hard at work implementing new ways to improve our campus on everything from building renovations to social activities, she spends her spare time swimming, scuba diving, walking, doing yoga and reading.