Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres - Candidate Bio

Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres is vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of faculty at Austin College, where she also holds the rank of professor of economics. Prior to her move to Austin College in July 2013, she served as professor of economics and dean of undergraduate education at UT Dallas. In spring 2013, she was one of 12 faculty chosen from across the UT system as a member of the inaugural class of The University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers, and in 2010, she received the prestigious UT System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award. In 2011-12 she participated in the American Council of Education Fellows Program where she was hosted by President John Hitt (AC Alum) and Provost Tony Waldrop at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Her research focuses on economic development and political stability in developing countries and employs a sub-national level of analysis. She is the author of Guns, Drugs & Development in Colombia with Kevin M. Curtin and Jennifer Holmes. She also is the author or co-author of numerous articles on such topics as development economics, international economics and Latin America. Her current book project is "Beyond state capacity to services and inclusion: Library parks in marginalized urban areas in Colombia." She is a member of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations and a past president of Midwest Association of Latin American Studies. From 1992 to 1996, she was an assistant professor of economics at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Her curriculum vitae outlines her diverse experience and accomplishments that range from enrollment management, retention and persistence programs, transfer articulation, faculty governance, information technology, assessment, institutional research, enterprise level software implementation, and finally, all that is associated with being a vice-president of academic affairs. Dr. Piñeres received her Ph.D. in economics at Duke University, a master’s degree at the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University.