Decatur, IL – On Monday, October 6, Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D) plans to honor Dr. Isaac Zúñiga and two others at her annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.
“As we begin Hispanic Heritage Month, I am humbled to be recognized by the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office as one of this year’s Hispanic Heritage honorees,” said Dr. Zúñiga, Executive Vice President of Academics and Student Success at Richland Community College. “This honor reflects not only my cultural heritage but also my lifelong commitment to advancing equity and opportunity through education and community leadership.”
Dr. Isaac Zúñiga is a first-generation college graduate and community college leader with more than 25 years of service in higher education. Since he started working at Richland in 2018, he has been focused on safeguarding the academic excellence of our institution while increasing student enrollment and retention. He is the past president of the Illinois Community College Diversity Commission, and he serves on the board of El Concilio, the National Community College Hispanic Council.
His work has led to him being accepted into the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) for the 2024-25 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. Zúñiga also was a 2025 American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Rising Star Executive finalist, and he won the 2024 Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education (ILACHE) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Outside of his work through community colleges, Dr. Zúñiga is the co-founder of CHICO (Centro for Hispanic and Immigrant Opportunities), a nonprofit in Decatur supporting Latino and immigrant families. He serves as Board Chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Decatur and as an elected school board member of the Maroa-Forsyth School District #2.
The annual luncheon was created to recognize the achievements of Hispanic Illinoisans in their communities and across the state. Dr. Zúñiga and the other honorees will be recognized at the comptroller’s office in Springfield.