RENO — Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) welcomes long-time Reno-Sparks resident and Washoe County School District (WCSD) Trustee Estela LeVario Gutierrez as its new dean of student services. With more than 20 years of experience at TMCC, Gutierrez is dedicated to student achievement. In her new role, she is responsible for the management and direction of student services and the development and maintenance of initiatives that result in student success. Gutierrez works closely with TMCC’s vice president of academic affairs and is a member of President Dr. Maria Sheehan’s leadership team.

In 2010, Gutierrez was elected president of the WCSD Board of Trustees and became the first minority to lead an elective entity in Washoe County. Under her leadership, the district saw an increase in graduation rates, implemented its strategic plan, Envision WCSD 2015 — Investing in our Future and managed difficult budget cuts. Gutierrez’s previous roles at TMCC include acting dean of student services, director of counseling and student services, director of counseling and career services and manager of ethnic community relations. Prior to her work with TMCC, Gutierrez served as lead academic adviser and Upward Bound Program facilitator at Fresno City College and Central American Scholarship coordinator at Kings River Community College.

Gutierrez is active in a number of community organizations, including Big Brother Big Sisters, The Chamber, Hispanic Networking and the Latina Roundtable. Her accomplishments are widespread and have been recognized with awards such as the Raymond I Smith Civic Leader of the Year in 2010 and New School Board member of the Year in 2009.

Gutierrez earned a master’s degree in educational counseling from National University in Fresno, Calif., and a bachelor’s degree in bilingual education from California State University in Fresno.

To learn more about Truckee Meadows Community College, call 673-7000 or visit www.tmcc.edu.