Letty Hernandez was promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services on Dec. 12, 2023. She joined legacy institution UTPA in 2008.
Hernandez will continue to work with baseball, a sport she has been overseeing academically for 15 years, along with men’s basketball and women’s soccer. In her elevated role, she’ll also take on more administrative duties such as supervising student-athlete advisors, tracking the academic progress rate, and working closely with compliance to monitor student eligibility. Additionally, she’ll be involved with the mental health task force.
Throughout her time at UTRGV, Hernandez has played a pivotal role in improving the departmental GPA and the athletic department’s graduation rate. She was recognized has a campus Unsung Hero in 2021, which was particularly special because of the challenges the department faced at that time due to COVID-19. When the baseball team won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship in 2019, head coach Derek Matlock gave Hernandez a championship ring because of the impact she has working with the team, specifically transfer students.
Hernandez’s work ethic is at the center of the success she has helped the department earn, and why she was the top choice to lead the academic team. She credits her mom, who never missed a day of work, as showing her what it means to be committed to her job. She also thanked her network of people across campus, from admissions to financial aid to the registrar’s office and faculty, for helping her consistently get better professionally.
With 15 years of experience in academic services, Hernandez has learned how to troubleshoot and develop the most efficient plans to help each student-athlete earn their degree and accomplish their career goals. She takes a hands-on approach to assist students in meeting both the institutional and NCAA requirements and strives to always be available to support the Vaqueros however they need. Hernandez genuinely believes in UTRGV’s mission and in the student-athletes she works with, and her contributions are appreciated by all.
