William Serrata, Ph.D.
President, El Paso Community College
Biography
William Serrata has served as president of the El Paso County Community College District since 2012. Under his leadership, the college has seen significant growth in dual credit and early college high school enrollment, alongside notable improvements in student retention and graduation rates—particularly among first-generation and Hispanic students.
In 2015, the college was honored as one of 10 national finalists for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, selected from nearly 1,200 institutions nationwide. The following year, it received the American Association of Community Colleges’ Student Success Award and was named the Western Regional Equity Award winner by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). In 2023, the college celebrated a major milestone by awarding its 100,000th degree or certificate, with more than 52% of these credentials earned since 2012.
Dr. Serrata is deeply engaged in the El Paso community, currently serving as board chair of the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence. He also holds board positions with several local organizations, including the Region 19 Advisory Committee, Community en Acción, and the Medical Centers of America (MCA) as an Honorary Director.
At the state level, he is Past Chair of the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC), serves on its Executive Committee, and contributes to the TACC Business Advisory Council and the Western Governors University Texas Advisory Committee. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for Humanities Texas. Previously, Dr. Serrata chaired the Texas Student Success Council, convened by Educate Texas.
Nationally, Dr. Serrata serves on the advisory board of the Higher Education Research and Development Institute and is a board member for the National Student Clearinghouse, the American Council on Education, the Lumina Foundation, Ferris State University, and the Global Community College Leadership Network. He has also held national leadership roles, including board chair of both the American Association of Community Colleges and Excelencia in Education.
Dr. Serrata earned his Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University – College Station, a Master’s degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University – College Station.
He and his wife Jessica have been married for over 20 years and are proud parents of two sons, Nathan and Joshua. Outside of his professional commitments, Dr. Serrata enjoys fishing, reading, and spending quality time with his family.