Bellwether Awards Info and Insights
Learn about Bellwether Awards from Director Dr. Rose Martinez.
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Event Details
Learn more about the nationally ranked Bellwether Awards from Dr. Rose Martinez, Director of the Bellwether College Consortium. This session offers an insider’s look at one of the most prestigious recognitions in community college innovation. Dr. Martinez will guide attendees through the 2026 Bellwether Awards application process, share strategies for submitting a competitive proposal, and explain the benefits of being selected as a Bellwether Finalist or Award Winner.
About the Speaker:
Rose M. Martinez, PhD
Director, Bellwether College Consortium/Alamo Colleges District
Rose Martinez, PhD, leads the Bellwether College Consortium, an independent think tank of thought leaders and catalysts representing award-winning community colleges who address critical issues with innovative, scalable, equity-focused solutions that support student economic mobility. She oversees the consortium’s national competitions that select community college exemplars in workforce development, instructional programs and services, and planning, governance, and finance. She has held leadership positions at UC Irvine, UT Austin, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, all focused on improving enrollment and graduation rates of underserved students. Dr. Martinez also served as a state policy consultant for a major higher education foundation where she supported philanthropic funding for higher education policy development. Since leading the consortium, she has established the BCC Outstanding Dissertation Award competition and BCC Summer Innovation series where she interviews the top Bellwether Award recipients.
Rose earned her graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. She has a master’s degree in public affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration.