Dr. Samuel Echevarría-Cruz has served as a Professor of Sociology at Austin Community College (ACC) since 2009.  He currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the American Studies Degree Program housed within the Interdisciplinary Studies Department and as of Fall 2021 he was appointed Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Instruction. While at ACC, he has also held positions as chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Work and Dean of Liberal Arts for the Social and Behavioral Sciences. He also currently holds adjunct appointments in the MBA and MPH programs at Concordia University Texas. Dr. Echevarría-Cruz also served as a Fulbright Scholar in Romania during the 2015-2016 academic year. Dr. Echevarría-Cruz is originally from Brownsville, Texas, and graduated with a Ph.D. in Sociology/Demography from the University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to ACC, he held faculty positions in Sociology at the Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College. Previous professional positions also include roles at The University of Texas Austin in Human Resources, Academic Advising, and Senior Associate at the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). Dr. Echevarría-Cruz was also employed in the private sector as a survey statistician and statistical consultant. Dr. Echevarría-Cruz is happily married to his wife, Diane, and a proud father to five sons, three of which are attending ACC! He is also very proud of his Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.

I love teaching students to take a step back and see the social world they live in with fresh eyes. I want them to see how complex, rich, and diverse our social worlds are and how they are part of who we are. I want students to be able to connect important things happening in their worlds to important things happening in everyone’s worlds. Students can expect to read interesting insights about important social topics, from our personal identities to global social movements. I want students to connect their/our past with their/our present to empower them to shape their/our future.