Anthony Cruz’s parents were born in Cuba, came to the United States in the 1960s and worked in factories to earn a living. In the 1990s, Cruz became the first person in his family to attend college, later going on to earn his doctorate in education. In July 2024, Cruz became the first Latino president of Milwaukee Area Technical College.
In his 30-year educational career, Cruz has held leadership roles at diverse institutions in Miami, Cincinnati and St. Louis.
As MATC’s 11th president, Cruz has brought his students-first philosophy to a college where 63% of the students identify as people of color, including 27.4% Black and 24.9% Hispanic, and 50% of the staff are people of color, according to Mark Feldmann, copywriter at MATC.
“Among his strategic planning priorities are increasing the racial diversity of the faculty, reducing achievement gaps among students of color and having MATC designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education,” Feldman said.
Earning the designation means MATC can apply for additional federal funding to help all students.
