Jenny Torres

As deputy director of higher education with the Texas College Access Network (TxCAN), Jennifer helps cultivate a dynamic coalition of Texas college access leaders who are on a mission to transform the landscape of college advising and enrollment in Texas. In addition to strengthening the coalition, Jennifer facilitates statewide professional development for college access professionals and strengthens college advising marketing efforts to expand TxCAN’s reach.

Jennifer’s career as a college access leader spans more than seven years, during which she has made a meaningful impact both locally and across the state. She began her career in college access as the program specialist for Southern Methodist University’s College Knowledge program. In this role, she was entrusted with providing comprehensive college and career guidance to students, organizing campus and community programs, and coordinating districtwide initiatives aimed at fostering college and career readiness.

This experience gave her practical expertise in creating effective strategies for identifying, informing, engaging and enrolling students in high-quality programs that facilitate credential attainment.

Prior to her work in college access, Jennifer served as the assistant coordinator for the SMU Center for Child and Community Development, which supported educators working with English language learners. In this role, Jennifer coordinated multidistrict projects, professional development opportunities, and international institutes, including the annual Dual Language Institute in Guatemala.

Jennifer was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a proud first-generation college graduate. She holds a bachelor’s in human rights and public policy and a master’s in dispute resolution and conflict management from Southern Methodist University.