Participant Profile s3

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

Benigno (Ben) Reyna Special Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs & Federal Relations Liaison The University of Texas at Brownsville & Texas Southmost College 80 Fort Brown Brownsville, Texas 78520 (956) 882-7445 [email protected]

The University of Texas at Brownsville has been a member of The University of Texas System since 1991. The University of Texas System consists of nine academic universities, six health institutions, and the UT system. The UT System was established by the Texas Constitution in 1876.

Founded in 1926 as Southmost Union Junior College, today’s Texas Southmost College in cooperation with UT Brownsville, serves more than 12,000 students at its 380 acre historic campus located in Brownsville, Texas. The UTB/TSC partnership combines the strengths of the community college and those of a university by increasing student access and eliminating inter-institutional barriers while fulfilling the distinctive responsibilities of each type of institution.

Prior to joining UTB/TSC, Mr. Reyna served from 2001to 2005 as Director of the United States Marshals Service in Washington, D.C. He began his law enforcement career in 1976 with the Brownsville, Texas Police Department. He retired in May 2001. His service to the City of Brownsville culminated in serving six years as Chief of Police. He held several key positions including Emergency Management Coordinator. In 1997, Mr. Reyna was appointed to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) by then-Governor George W. Bush. In 2000 he was appointed Presiding Officer, remaining in office until his appointment as Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Reyna served as a regional Law Enforcement Expert with the Counter Drug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC), which is part of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mr. Reyna is attending the 2006 Emergency and Homeland Security / Defense Higher Education Conference to discuss with FEMA Higher Education Project officials, conference presenters and participants the challenges associated in establishing emergency management / homeland security programs. He also looks forward to meeting the NORTHCOM Homeland Security / Defense Education Consortium participants.