Latino Business Speakers Bureau: Alex Sevilla
written by: David Gomez
Leaders with a commitment to life-long learning are not only unique, they are also game changers. Their eyes are open to unique opportunities for growth and they genuinely want to know how they can make things better. Dr. Alex Sevilla goes a step further. He wants to bring inclusion and new opportunities to students of underserved communities in the organization that he leads. It is not only a commitment; he naturally looks for new opportunities to make things better wherever he is. He addressed accolades of his leadership during our interview with a polite thank you and immediately repurposed the question of “what has the University of Florida done well?” by adding a list of areas of improvement. He doesn’t feel like it’s productive to feel like he has arrived or that there is nothing else to improve. He knows that improvement means growth and he cannot deliver results by thinking that the status quo is good enough.
Dr. Alex Sevilla has been aware of the impact that a person’s environment has in his or her outcome in life since a very young age. Within a week from his birth, Nicaragua was hit with a devastating earthquake and the aftermath of the devastation puts in question the likelihood of his family’s survival. However, his father worked for an airline and secured passage for his family to Miami, Florida. His father instilled in him and his three siblings the value of education. His family also played a special role in his development and he feels that he learned from each one of his siblings as well. He was always looking for opportunities to learn from others. At the University of Florida, Dr. Sevilla continues to make remarkable progress advocating for minorities and his efforts have provided outstanding results. In fewer than 10 years, under his leadership, the school enrollment of undergrad business studies rate has increased from 14% to 21%. Among the programs that are working well is the Opportunity Scholars program for first generation students. However, that isn’t the end goal. He knows that metrics may sometimes miss important areas of opportunities. For that reason, he wants to see a greater number of minority faculty members in the program, among other strategies to inclusion.
Many leaders will find inspiration in Dr. Sevilla’s work with the Latino students at the University of Florida. He is an example for his students but his commitment to inclusion is likely one of the greatest lessons he has to offer other leaders. He isn’t satisfied with good enough. He wants to see meaningful change and he has a true dedication to seeing results in the lives and careers of the students that he supports.