Teresita Bango Wisell

Westchester Community College, Valhalla, NY
www.sunywcc.edu
Executive Director, Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education, Associate Dean, Gateway Center, Westchester Community College

Teresita Bango Wisell has been in the field of higher education administration and enrollment management for over 24 years.  She began her career in the admissions office of St. Joseph’s University and subsequently became Associate Director of Admissions at Temple University in Philadelphia. 

From August 1994 through July 2008, she served as Director of Admissions at Westchester Community College.  In her role, she oversaw an office responsible for outreach to the community and for the recruitment and enrollment of over 6,000 new students each year.  Recognizing the primary mission of the community college to be access to quality higher education for all, Ms Wisell has focused her efforts on outreach to those in the community who would benefit most from the community college; first-generation college bound students; immigrants and children of immigrants; and those who may be academically, economically or socially disadvantaged or underprepared. 

In July 2008, Ms. Wisell took a temporary leave from her position as Director of Admissions to become the Project Director for the Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education (CCCIE).  The consortium is funded through a grant by The J.M. Kaplan Fund and is housed at and supported by Westchester Community College.  CCCIE is working to bring together a group of community colleges from across the country all of which are committed to immigrant education programs and services.  By sharing ideas, speaking out on the importance of immigrant education programs and creating a repository of best practices in the field, the consortium will raise the national visibility of the important role community colleges take to serve this population. 

Ms. Wisell has received numerous awards and recognition for her service to students and the community.  Among those are the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award in Professional Service; a Leadership Fellow by the National Community College Hispanic Council; and recognition by local agencies for her work with Latino youth in the county.

She was born in Camaguey, Cuba and immigrated to the United States with her family as a child.   Ms. Wisell regularly serves as a panelist and presenter on issues regarding access to education and the immigrant population. She holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations and Spanish and an MBA in Marketing.