About me
Dr. Catherine Prieto Olivarez is Associate Vice Provost for Articulation, Transfer, and Educational Policy at Dallas College, one of the nation's largest community college systems. A nationally recognized leader in higher education, she has dedicated her career to expanding opportunity for transfer students, strengthening community colleges, and helping first-generation and Latino students succeed.
With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Olivarez leads systemwide efforts to improve transfer pathways, academic policy, and student success initiatives across Texas. She also serves on the Texas Transfer Advisory Committee and helps lead the Texas Pathways initiative, working to ensure students can move more easily from community colleges to four-year institutions without losing time or credits.
A respected scholar and national speaker, Dr. Olivarez's research focuses on college access, transfer policy, and student success, particularly for Latino students and their families. Her work has helped shape statewide conversations about educational equity and the role community colleges play in creating economic mobility for millions of Texans. She has published extensively on transfer policy and has been recognized by national organizations for her leadership in advancing Hispanic student success.
Beyond her institutional leadership, Dr. Olivarez is a committed mentor and advocate for women in higher education, serving in leadership roles with the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas and other organizations dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders.
Throughout her career, Dr. Olivarez has remained focused on a simple but powerful idea: where a student begins should never determine where they are able to go. Her work continues to open doors for thousands of students seeking a pathway to higher education and economic opportunity.
