As the Vice Chancellor Workforce Instruction for the Houston Community, Dr. Burillo-Hopkins is responsible for the strategic vision and administrative leadership of Workforce Instruction for the district, including guiding support for the Centers of Excellence, apprenticeships, continuing education, employer and community instructional partnerships, and workforce training grants.

As President at Houston Community College Southwest College, Dr. Madeline Burillo-Hopkins oversees all operations at HCC’s Southwest campuses including the Center of Excellence in Digital and Information Technology, and four college locations in Harris County and Fort Bend County, as well as community engagement, and school district relationships in the designated service area. Over the past 22 years, Dr. Burillo-Hopkins has been instrumental in bringing innovative educational credit and continuing education, workforce partnerships, the development of the Prior Learning Assessment procedures, and many federal and state workforce grants.

In addition, Dr. Burillo-Hopkins has been instrumental in private sector fundraising for instructional programs and student support. Dr. Burillo-Hopkins earned the Hispanic Women in Leadership Award for outstanding service in education in 2001. In 2003, she received the HCC Chancellor’s Medallion for Outstanding Service, and in 2010, Dr. Burillo-Hopkins was an HCC Eagle Award recipient for Administrative Leadership. In 2013, D’Mars Magazine selected her as one of Houston’s Top 30 Influential Women. She was again recognized as one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women in 2015, by Houston Women Magazine. She is currently serves on the AACC Commission on Economic Development and Workforce, the Manufacturing Skills Standards Business and Educators Council, the Fort Bend Economic Development Board and the Greater Houston Partnership Upskills Houston Executive Committee. During her over 30 years in higher education, she has held multiple administrative positions, and has always been an advocate for workforce education, diversity and equity, culminating with her college Presidency in 2016 and Vice Chancellor in December 2020.

She credits her parents, her father from Spain and her mother from Puerto Rico, for teaching her the importance of higher education and planting the values of hard work, kindness, respect, integrity, determination and positive thinking, which she still lives by today. Dr. Burillo-Hopkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Puerto Rico, a Master’s in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a Doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership from Sam Houston State University.

2025 Service Awards Recipients

35 years