Raymund A. Paredes Joins Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's Board of Directors

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Raymund A. Paredes, PhD, has accepted an appointment to join Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's Board of Directors.

Dr. Paredes currently holds the position of Commissioner of Higher Education at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  He has served as Vice President for Programs at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and Director of Creativity and Culture at the Rockefeller Foundation where he managed a budget of more than $20 million and awarded more than 200 grants annually in the arts and humanities to individuals and organizations around the world.

"We are extremely excited to have Dr. Paredes as one of our newest national Board members," said T. Charles Pierson, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Operating Officer. "With his academic, professional and personal commitment to helping children overcome adversity, Big Brothers Big Sisters will be a richer organization because of his service."

Dr. Paredes spent most of his academic career at UCLA where for 30 years he taught as an English professor and served ten years as vice chancellor for Academic Development. In addition, he was special assistant to the president of the University of California System in outreach efforts to improve access to higher education for students from educationally disadvantaged communities.

Dr. Paredes received a PhD in American Civilization from the University of Texas at Austin, a Masters in American Studies from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin. He co-authored Mexican-American Authors and has served as a consultant on literature curriculum for a number of institutions. In 2007, he was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine's 100 Most Influential Hispanics.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships.  Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course.  The first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.  This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization's 100-year history.  With about 350 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteers and families. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org or LatinoBigs.org.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters of America