Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz has served students, faculty, staff, and our community for 30 years as an educator. She proudly serves as the 8th President of Glendale Community College having previously served as the Interim President of GCC for two years. Dr. Ruiz has also served as the Vice President of Student Affairs, Associate Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs, and Interim Dean of Instruction at GCC. Prior to coming to GCC, Dr. Ruiz was a member of the mathematics faculty at South Mountain Community College, serving as the Division Chair for Mathematics, Science & Engineering, and holding various leadership positions at SMCC.
She began her career teaching mathematics to junior high students at C.O. Greenfield Middle School in the Roosevelt Elementary School District, the same school from which she graduated. She continued on to teach students at South Mountain High School before transferring to South Mountain Community College.
In addition, Dr. Ruiz believes in service to the community and serves on several organizations and boards. She is a strong advocate for student success and believes in the power of education to uplift a community and believes the community college is a critical part of the pathway to upward mobility. She strongly believes that all students can learn and achieve great things with the right support and hard work.
Dr. Ruiz is a proud first-generation college student raised in South Phoenix. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education with a major in Mathematics from Arizona State University, a Master of Education from Northern Arizona University, and Doctorate in Higher and Post-Secondary Education from ASU. She is the proud mother of two teenage daughters, Gabriela and Sofia, and is grateful for the support of her husband, Bobby Ruiz, who serves as the Chief of the City of Peoria Fire-Medical Department. When she has a moment to relax you can usually find her exercising or reading one of several books.
Mom of the Year Breakfast
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Renaissance Downtown Phoenix - Grand Ballroom
Registration 7:30 a.m. | Breakfast & Program 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
To purchase tickets visit, www.valledelsol.com/mom
