Angélica Benítez currently provides leadership for the federal TRIO grant programs at Rider University, which include the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program and the Student Support Services Program.  For nearly 32 years, Ms. Benítez has dedicated herself to advancing higher education for first-generation, underrepresented and under-resourced students.  This mission has been fulfilled through the comparable New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOP) and TRIO’s collegiate-level programs.

Having secured student best-practices and impactful service through her vigorous work in EOP, she transitioned to TRIO to aid in establishing the first SSS Program at Rider University.  Thus, yielding greater support services and counseling to a growing first-generation population.  After 11 years of impacting student success, Ms. Benítez expanded her trajectory by launching and directing the SSS project at Bloomfield College.  Inaugurating comprehensive programs became a notable talent as Rider sought her return to establish their second TRIO grant, the McNair Scholars Program.  To date, Angélica Benítez has provided TRIO with twenty-nine years of service while fostering student persistence and achievement from the baccalaureate to the doctorate.  

Her career has consistently reflected her passion to impact people, aide students, breakdown barriers, and champion access and opportunity – especially for those with whom she shares the first-generation, low-income narrative.  Alongside her professional duties, Ms. Benítez has maintained community involvement comprising of 17 years on the Board of the NJ Hispanic Association for Higher Education, Inc., to include stewardship for the office of presidency and recognition by President Bill Clinton’s Education Commissioner for championing progress and inclusion among NJ Latino Educators.  Likewise, Ms. Benítez is a longtime, good-standing member of the Association for Equality and Excellence in Education, Inc. (AEEE); and respectively, the Council for Opportunity in Education.  She has actively served the AEEE Board as District Representative, Board Member at Large, Conference Chair, COE Policy Chair, and Co-Chair of AEEE’s 40th Anniversary Celebratory Banquet.