Magaly Spector, vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Dallas, was recently honored by the Hispanic 100 for her contributions to education.

Spector and eight other nominees were honored at the Latina Living Legend (LLL) award luncheon on May 6 at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. Other nominees included:

  • Gloria Campos, news anchor, WFAA-TV.
  • Lucy Coronado, entrepreneur.
  • Gloria Espinosa, coordinator, UT Southwestern Mobile Mammography Program.
  • Lilly Juarez, medical director, Irving Interfaith Clinic.
  • Dr. Mary W. Hendrix, vice president for student access and success, Texas A&M – Commerce.
  • Commander Mery-Angela S. Katson, commanding officer, Navy Recruiting District, San Antonio.
  • Margo Ramirez Keyes, Dallas civic leader.
  • Dr. Judith Loredo, assistant commissioner, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

“This year’s nominees are all incredible women who have made a big difference in the areas of advocacy, education, entrepreneurship, medical outreach, military service and philanthropy,” said Alice Rodriguez, president of the Hispanic 100, in a written statement. “Their dedication and selflessness have inspired many more.”

The LLL selection committee chose Campos as its 2010 winner. Campos was nominated for her advocacy work with Wednesday’s Child, a North Texas organization, which provides resources for children in foster case.

As part of the LLL honor, Campos will direct a $5,000 gift to the charity of her choice. Campos said she would apportion the funds between Wednesday’s Child and charities that focus on education.

Spector, a Cuban-born émigré to the U.S., is a physicist and engineer by training. She is a Bell Labs fellow who held key research and development management positions during her 25-year career at Alcatel-Lucent. While at Bell Labs, she enrolled in the graduate program at Lehigh University, where she earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1985 and a PhD in physics in 1993.

Spector joined UT Dallas as vice president for diversity and community engagement in 2008. Since then, her team has coordinated programs which prepare students for a diverse world and encourage diversity among faculty and staff.

By telling her story through the LLL awards event, Spector hopes to inspire other women to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“Having the opportunity to share how I could achieve my dreams of becoming a scientist and how my office can help Latinas follow similar paths was a wonderful experience,” she said.

Spector was especially touched that the Hispanic 100 recognized her as a part of the North Texas Latina community despite her short time as a Texas resident.

“The fact that I moved to Dallas less than three years ago and I was part of this nominated group makes me feel that I am earning a place among those who are contributing to the advancement of women in this region,” she said.

The Hispanic 100 serves as a catalyst for increased participation of Hispanic women in employment, procurement and social issues. It was organized in Dallas in 1996 as the Hispanic 50, but changed its name to Hispanic 100 in 2003 as its membership grew. The organization is involved in promoting Hispanic women leadership in the private and public sectors, and is also a network of Dallas-area Hispanic women leaders engaged to help increase business development opportunities for Hispanic women-owned businesses.

The Hispanic 100 created the LLL award to honor the life’s work of a Dallas metro area Latina who has distinguished herself through her profession; active community and civic participation; and volunteerism and philanthropic endeavors directly benefitting the community. This is the third year the Hispanic 100 has presented the LLL.