Mourning the Sudden Passing of Hector Tejeda

September 2 – Sarasota

The UnidosNow family is in mourning with the sudden passing of Hector Tejeda, our beloved friend, mentor, leader and great human being who now has joined the choir of angels.

In the winter of 2014, Hector Tejeda, a recent retiree and transplant to the Sarasota/Manatee area, was checking Craigslist for part-time jobs – not so much for income, but rather, because he said, “I don’t play golf” and he wanted to find a way to integrate into his new community. Ideally, he was looking for a non-profit organization where his Harvard MBA and decades of experience working in finance and management for multinational pharmaceutical corporations could benefit a local charity.

As luck would have it, that morning on his laptop, his search revealed a part-time opening with the local non-profit UnidosNow, seeking someone who would lead a summer, college prep program for local, LatinX immigrant children living in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Born in Guatemala, Hector was brought to the US by his mother as a toddler and was the first generation in his family to get a college degree, and eventually an MBA from Harvard. After retiring from Merck, Hector spent three years at one of the world’s other most prestigious Ivy League business schools, Wharton at Penn, serving as an MBA Career Management counselor.

Realizing that his family, education and career background may appear too good to be true for the UnidosNow staff and board reviewing applications for the part-time job, Hector drove to the non-profit office to hand-deliver his cover letter and resume, ensuring the small team knew he was not kidding them and that he was very interested in leading this project.

The rest is history – Hector created one of the region’s most impactful college prep programs, the Future Leaders Academy, that has now grown to serve many hundreds of students and families, not only placing them in the most selective colleges and universities in North America, but also securing them millions of dollars in scholarships to enable their attendance.

Humble, quiet, self-effacing to a fault, it is sad that this tribute and recognition for Hector was not possible while he still walked this Earth with his students as he would never allow it. The light was to be directed on the students, families and UnidosNow; Hector’s vision was always for the long-term of a child’s career and a thriving non-profit, never for the glory or beatification of himself.

Hector was able to encourage team members, students, parents, and friends of UnidosNow to “Dream Big.”  The “Dream Big” movement grew as an established theme. No goals fell short, no hopes faded, and no dreams were too high to conquer. Hector believed in all of us until we started believing in our own potential. Because of him, UnidosNow has empowered thousands of students and their families to achieve their dreams and to create the opportunities they deserve as contributing members of the community.

UnidosNow shares this loss with Hector’s wife, Deanne; his children; his parents; his former wife; his siblings; and his many friends. The lessons and the memories of Hector’s life will be part of our lives forever.

The community, UnidosNow students and families could not have asked for a nobler example of a principled leader. The impact of Hector Tejeda in Sarasota and Manatee counties, Florida, the nation and world, will reverberate for generations to come.

Join Hector’s Celebration of Life on Thursday, September 8 at 11:30 a.m. at The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center. RSVP here.