Communication studies faculty member Francisco Suárez was recently named one of 10 emerging Hispanic leaders and allies who are fellows for the 2025 Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) class.

“I’m excited but also feel a great sense of responsibility because it’s not just about me but everybody who supported me,” including School of Communication, Media and the Arts Dean Jennifer Knapp, Communication Studies Department Chair Michael  Riecke, and everybody who wrote letters of recommendation, Suárez said.

“I think any new opportunity you have to grow, you should take it,” Suárez noted. “As a professor, I’m always promoting the idea of learning and finding ways to empower yourself.”

HLI is a demanding nine-month experience which positions fellows to further develop higher education leadership skills and proficiencies. HLI fellows participate in training sessions and webinars, converse with national and statewide leaders, and master personal assessment tools. 

HLI creates a pipeline for professional opportunities across SUNY and ensures alumni are networking and receiving continuous support and mentorship. 

“It’s a commitment, so I’m planning around classes to make sure my students are still getting their best experiences next semester while I attend the hybrid program,” Suárez said.

The class of 10 are mostly people with administrative backgrounds, so he is happy to bring the perspective of the classroom into the cohort. Suárez also said the definition of leadership encompasses many things people might not normally consider.

“I believe that any professor who can keep their students engaged consistently in a positive way is already a great leader, especially if they are engaged with and caring for their students,” he said.

Suárez is already active in campus and community activities, including supervising interdisciplinary SCMA projects; serving on his school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; and continuing as the department’s Quest coordinator.

“I feel like there’s a lot more I’m ready to learn to really enhance my leadership skills,” Suárez said. He also sees this as an opportunity to learn how to create change in policy and culture for the university to keep it moving forward.

"We can't afford to continue academics the way we did 20 years ago," Suárez emphasized. 

"The time to teach more than just skills, including things they can't learn just from watching videos, is now. As professors, we must urgently create experiences that promote critical thinking, creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional values for our students. I hope that through HLI, I can learn to become a better leader and professor."

Community resource

One way Suárez has used his leadership and industry skills is in serving on the board of trustees of the new Pulso Central (Central Pulse), the first and only Spanish-only radio station in Central New York. 

“Part of my job as a board member is to find or develop diverse types of programs to serve the community,” Suárez said. 

“This is an important opportunity to represent the Latinx community in Central New York. And this is a very diverse Latinx community,” Suárez said. “We had to ask: ‘How can we create a radio station that can make so many different people feel included?’ We want everybody to feel invited.”

To start the station up, Pulso Central initially leaned on existing syndicated programs but the station is in the process of developing a variety of original local programming. Suárez hopes SUNY Oswego students are among those who can help with that process.

“It’s a great opportunity for my students, especially those who are in the Latinx community, to develop pilot shows for the station,” Suárez said. “I’m teaching a podcasting production class in spring and encouraging them to consider creating a pilot.”

In October, Suárez spoke with NewsChannel 9 during a Hispanic Heritage Month feature included more information about Pulso Central.

He is also well-known for his award-winning “From Suárez’s Basement” video podcast, where he interviews a variety of people – many behind-the-scenes in the entertainment industry, many of whom have worked on the most popular movies and TV shows and won prestigious awards. 

“The podcast has really been taking off,” Suárez noted, climbing from a few hundred subscribers earlier this year to nearly 8,400 subscribers at the start of December. His newest videos have seen a massive upswing of views as well.

About the Hispanic Leadership Institute

Thanks to generous support from New York State and the State Assembly and Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, SUNY’s Hispanic Leadership Institute has supported 71 of SUNY’s brightest Hispanic faculty and staff and allies. The program supports these leaders through rigorous executive training and provides a network to support growth in their positions. 

“To foster a truly diverse and welcoming environment at SUNY, we must ensure that diverse voices are represented, heard and celebrated at every level of our system,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said in announcing the new class last month. “The continued success of HLI has inspired the formation of other leadership institutes at SUNY, such as the Black Leadership Institute and the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Leadership Institute. We will continue to collaborate with our legislative partners to expand HLI and to develop and support more diverse leaders at SUNY thanks to this incredible leadership institute.” 

HLI fellows have the opportunity to meet with distinguished Hispanic and Latinx leaders and their allies from SUNY and the community at large, both locally and nationally; work with mentors; expand their network; and build connections. HLI creates a pipeline for professional opportunities across SUNY and ensures alumni are networking and receiving ongoing support and mentorship well after they graduate from the program. 

Suárez joins previous SUNY Oswego standouts Roberta (Rosie) Hurtado of the Department of English and Creative Writing; Lizette Alvarado, associate director of the Office of International Education and Programs; and Christina Vasquez, director of the university’s CSTEP initiative.

“I’m looking forward to meeting other fellows like me who are trying to learn new skills. I’m also really looking forward to heading back into the classroom as a student,” Suárez said. “Most importantly, I’m most excited to learn the leadership skills I can bring back to help the campus.”