Priority 6: Training on General Project Management or New Project Directors (In-Person, Oak Brook, IL )

Dr. Mary L. Gonzalez currently works as a administrator for Cal Poly Humboldt and a consultant for Family Centered Educational Agency. Mary retired in 2018 as the Associate Vice President for Student Access in Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK). During her 29 years at the university, she built a division of TRIO programs and numerous other Title V and III programs to assist low income and first-generation students in the region. In the past 35 years Mary has consulted with numerous universities and colleges, not only writing successful grants but administering and evaluating grants outcomes.

Mary possesses a wealth of experience and expertise with initiatives funded through federal, state, and institutional resources - serving students at every point in the college-access-and-success pipeline. Mary has received several awards for her contributions to higher education, including the South Texas Educator Award, LULAC Leadership, the National Organization for Women (NOW) Person of the Year, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville President’s Distinguished Excellence award. In 2021, Mary established MLG Educational Consulting LLC to assist program administrators, directors with evaluations, compliance, and program visits, focusing on overall effectiveness of grant funded programs. Mary enjoys being a grandmother to Tripp and Mila and the proud mother of two sons.

Lisa Retamozo has 30 years of administrative experience in the implementation, management, supervision, and evaluation of federal and state-funded educational and career opportunity programs serving low-income and potential first-generation youth and their families.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Lisa served as the Director of multiple Upward Bound and Talent Search Projects at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth for over 10 years before working with the TRIO Projects hosted by Texas Wesleyan University and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Since founding her business in 2003, Lisa has built a successful record of securing funding via new and continuation grant proposals for educational institutions and non-profit agencies submitted to the Department of Education (McNair, Student Support Services, Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Centers, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science, Veterans Upward Bound, GEAR Up, Title V: Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Title III: Strengthening Institutions; High School Equivalency Program - HEP and College Assistance Migrant Program -CAMP); Department of Justice; Department of Labor; and States of California, New York, and Texas.

Lisa provides TRIO projects across the nation with technical assistance in the areas of program implementation; compliance assessments; external process-based evaluations; documentation, recordkeeping, and annual performance reporting; database management; and other professional development workshops.

Active in the TRIO community, Lisa has served as a faculty member of several regional and national training teams (The Council for Opportunity in Education, Colorado State University, Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunities Program Personnel) funded by the Department of Education that develop and conduct professional development seminars for TRIO personnel. She also presents at national, regional, and state TRIO conferences in the areas of program management, programming, delivery of services, internal/external evaluation, database utilization, and proposal development.
​
Lisa earned her bachelor's of business administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her master's of business administration degree from Texas Woman’s University.

Lucille Jones is a nationally-recognized TRIO evaluator and trainer with 36 years’ experience in managing TRIO projects, writing TRIO proposals, training TRIO staff in regulations and OMB Uniform Guidance, and preparing and submitting Annual Performance Reports. Jones earned a Master’s Degree in Education in 1986, with a specialization in Mildly Handicapped Education. She also holds certifications in English and Adult Education. She taught eleven years in a secondary setting teaching English to learning disabled students before beginning her career in TRIO.

At the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain, she served as the project director for SSS, TS, EOC, and UB for twenty years. She has been a TRIO consultant for the past sixteen years, doing independent evaluations and trainings nationwide. She has received the prestigious Walter O. Mason award from the Council for Opportunity in Education as well as numerous awards from the Arkansas Association of Student Assistance Programs (AASAP) and regional Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs (SWASAP).

Lynn Curry has been working with McNair scholars for over twenty years and is passionate
about supporting students in well-being. She is creator and host of 365 Mindful Days
Community, a peer-based learning community teaching TRIO students how to prioritize their well-being so they can truly thrive. She is also a certified meditation teacher with the Open Heart Project and regularly presents on such topics at national conferences, including the Council for Opportunity in Education and Institute on Teaching and Mentoring.

Melinda Dynyel Miller is currently an Executive Director with the Family Centered Educational Agency that is federally funded by the US Department of Education. Melinda currently oversees three federally funded TRIO programs including Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science, and the Educational Opportunity Center programs. She has worked in the TRIO field for over 19 years which includes directing and managing Title III and Title V grant funded programs. Melinda is passionate about working with students and helping them succeed in their educational trajectory.

Gabrielle Dillon is currently a Director with the Family Centered Educational Agency that is
federally funded by the US Department of Education. She has worked in the TRIO field for
several years and currently supervises two TRIO Talent Search programs. Gabrielle is passionate
about assisting students in achieving their educational aspirations and hopes to continue to
encourage first generation & low income students for years to come.