Bethaida Gonzalez, dean of University College at Syracuse University in New York, was named president-elect of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. She will serve as president-elect for the 2013-14 academic year and then become president for the next year.
Dean Gonzalez joined University College at Syracuse University in 1984 as an academic adviser. She rose through the ranks and became dean in 2007. She oversees the university’s continuing education and summer programs.
Gonzalez is a native of Puerto Rico but moved to New York as a young child. She is a graduate of Binghamton University, a campus of the State University of New York system and holds a master of public administration degree from Syracuse University. Gonzalez was elected to the Syracuse School Board and was the first Latina elected to the Common Council of the City of Syracuse. In 2008, she announced her candidacy for mayor of Syracuse but withdrew from the race in early 2009.