José serves as the Senior Director, Federal External Affairs at The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), a role he assumed in January 2026. In this role, he leads TICAS’s federal efforts to build a broad coalition of support for its federal policy agenda working with advocates, lawmakers and their staff, and federal agencies to improve the nation’s higher education system.
Prior to joining TICAS, José was the Director of Government Relations at the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), where he led their efforts to advance federal priorities that supported student success and institutional capacity at community colleges. He previously spent time in Congress working for Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), where he advised the Congresswoman on education policy and in her position as Vice Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations. José started off on Capitol Hill working for Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03) as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Fellow. Before moving to Washington D.C., José taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to high school students in Miami, FL.
As an immigrant and first-generation college student from a low-income background, José is a proud alumnus of the Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars (MFOS) program, which allowed him to attend the University of Florida (UF) without any financial burden. José graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies, with a focus on Latin America. Outside of his professional commitments, José serves as Immediate Past President of the UF Association of Hispanic Alumni, working with a volunteer team to provide scholarships, mentorship, and networking opportunities to UF students and alumni. In his spare time, José enjoys playing (and watching) soccer, and reading.
