Rey Rivera

Dr. Rey Rivera brings more than 28 years of higher education experience to his role as president of Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC). Appointed president on July 1, 2019, Dr. Rivera’s career reflects a strong connection to the classroom, students, and faculty.  Dr. Rivera serves on the Board of Directors for both the Western Maricopa Coalition (WESTMARC), Abrazo Health-West Campus, AZ HSI Consortium (Co-Founder), National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC), and the MCCCD Foundation. Additionally, he assists EMCC’s Reaffirmation of Accreditation by serving on the Higher Learning Commission’s Peer Reviewer Corps.  

He has held several leadership positions at EMCC, including Division Chairperson of Science and Mathematics, Faculty Senate President, Principal Investigator for two National Science Foundation grants, and Interim Dean of Occupational Education, and Vice President of Academic Affairs. He was selected as a 2019 Aspen Presidential Fellow and received a distinguished leadership award by The Victoria Foundation. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Rivera earned his Ed.D. in higher and post-secondary education at Arizona State University, his Master of Science degree in mathematics at Purdue University, and his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to his academic and professional accomplishments, Dr. Rivera is most proud of his two children, Andres and Iliana, and his two dogs, Kylo and Obi.