Adam Chavarria joined the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans (White House Initiative) as associate director in June 2001. He presently serves as the executive director, a position he was appointed to by the Bush Administration in December 2003. In this capacity, he is responsible for directing the efforts of the White House Initiative in engaging Hispanic parents, families and entire communities nationwide as active participants in improving the academic achievement of Hispanic Americans.
Prior to his appointment, Chavarria served for more than eight years as the executive director of the Hispanic College Fund (HCF), a national nonprofit organization founded by Hispanic business leaders in 1993. Chavarria led the HCF, headquartered in Washington, D.C., since its inception, during which time more than $1 million in scholarships was awarded to over 600 Hispanic students enrolled in colleges and universities across the country. As its executive director, he led the HCF from start-up to successful national scholarship-granting organization. In the process, he forged lasting partnerships with corporations, higher education institutions and the Hispanic business community.
Chavarria was a consultant in Dallas prior to leading the Hispanic College Fund. While in Dallas, he also served as vice president with SER-Jobs for Progress, Inc., a national employment and training organization.
A native of Harlingen, Texas, Chavarria was the first in his family to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees. He received a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in public administration from the University of Minnesota. As a graduate student, he was selected to attend the United Nations' Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva, Switzerland.
Chavarria has been listed in Who's Who Among Hispanic Americans and has been a member of the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Dallas Association of Mexican American Professionals. He has served as an active member of the U.S. Senate Republican Conference Task Force on Hispanic Affairs Advisory Committee since 1991.