Meet Daniel Villanueva, Jr., Ph.D.

Currently: Dr. Villanueva currently serves as the Vice-President of Enrollment Management at the University of Houston-Downtown. In his current role, he oversees admissions, financial aid, registrar’s office, transfer and community college relations, campus solutions services, transition services, and enrollment marketing and communications. UHD has experienced six consecutive semesters of enrollment growth and double-digit increases in transfer student headcount with his leadership.

Scholar-practitioner: Dr. Villanueva is proud to serve as an editor of the language and culture section of the 2nd edition of the Handbook of Research on Latinos and Education: Theory, Research and Practice,  released from Routledge Publishing. He serves as an advisory board member of Wiley Publication’s Enrollment Management Report, producing articles and research relating to enrollment management.

Leadership: He currently serves on the Prepárate National Advisory Board sponsored by The College Board. He was selected for the Hispanic Association of College and University's (HACU) La Academia de Liderazgo a one-year program to prepare the next generation of culturally diverse leaders for executive and senior level positions in higher education. In addition, he participated in the Governor’s Executive Development Program (GEDP) sponsored by the University of Texas for top executives in Texas state agencies and universities in organizational strategy, infrastructure management, resource management, and personal effectiveness. The GEDP is designed for those with executive-level positions and responsibility for charting the strategic direction of their organizations. Previously, Dr. Villanueva was served as the President of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education.

Experience: Dr. Villanueva previously served as dean of student services and dean of enrollment management at two Lone Star College campuses. He led Lone Star College-CyFair’s inaugural strategic enrollment management plan, which increased headcount to over 21,000 students. He also served as director of student life overseeing the Center for Student Life, wellness center, recreational an intramural sports, clubs/organizations, and campus-wide programming. Before joining Lone Star College, Dr. Villanueva served as director of student affairs at Blinn College. He also worked in new student orientation and the residential life at Texas Tech University.

Education: Dr. Villanueva attended Blinn College before transferring to Texas Tech University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He received his master’s degree in liberal arts, with an emphasis in counseling and psychology, from Texas Christian University. In 2020, he completed his Ph.D. in educational administration at Texas A&M University and studied higher education leadership, qualitative research methods, and academic capitalism under Dr. Yvonna S. Lincoln.

Teaching: He also teaches Mexican American Humanities as an adjunct professor at Lone Star College. Dr. Villanueva has served as a part-time adjunct professor for twelve years while concurrently serving as an executive within higher education. 

Dr. Villanueva resides in Houston, Texas, with his wife Anna and son Diego, and their dog, Elle Woods.