Our Team

The Advancing Community Engagement and Service Institute is a university-wide institute that reports to the Office of the Provost. Meet the leadership team:

	Anne McClellan Co-founder and ACES Executive Director amcclell@central.uh.edu   Dr. Anne McClellan serves as executive director for growth and innovation and research faculty at the University of Houston College of Education. Her work focuses on developing and funding new initiatives, community engagement and informing educational policy. She previously served as director of Middle School Matters at the George W. Bush Institute, as vice president for growth at YES Prep, and was founding principal of Houston's first early college high school.
	Jonathan Schwartz Co-founder and Associate Vice President of Advancement  Dr. Jonathan Schwartz is the Associate Vice President of Advancement and former Dean of the University of Houston-Downtown College of Public Service. Previously, he served as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Houston College of Education. In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association's Prevention Section.
	Stephanie Pérez-Gill Program Director sperezgi@cougarnet.uh.edu  Stephanie Perez-Gill serves as the program director for the ACES Institute. Her work involves program management, grant oversight and implementing new projects. Prior to joining the Institute, Perez-Gill was a high school teacher and college counselor. She is currently a Ph.D. student in higher education leadership and policy studies at the UH College of Education.
	Teranda Donatto Community Education and Outreach Program Director tjdonatt@cougarnet.uh.edu Dr. Teranda Donatto oversees community education and outreach for the ACES Institute. She previously served as a program director for a STEM leadership development program and has experience teaching at the college level. She recently received a Ph.D. in higher education leadership and policy studies at the UH College of Education.
	Raul Rosa Negron Program Coordinator II rarosa2@cougarnet.uh.edu Raul Rosa Negron serves as a Program Coordinator II for the ACES Institute at the University of Houston. His work involves program coordination, policy development, and communications. He graduated from the University of Houston in December 2024 with a degree in English literature.