Waxahachie, Texas – March 31, 2017 – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) alumnus Girien Salazar was recently announced as the Deputy Director of the Faith and Education Coalition (FEC) for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) .

The Faith and Education Coalition is an initiative of the NHCLC to ensure that all children have access to quality education. The NHCLC is the largest Hispanic Christian organization in America, representing over 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals in over 40,000 churches.

“We exist to unify, serve and represent the Hispanic Evangelical Community by reconciling the divine and human elements of the Christian message,” Salazar says. “The NHCLC’s leaders work tirelessly towards these ends and there is no wonder why they have a seat at the table with local, state and national policymakers.”

As the Deputy Director, Salazar helps lead a team of nine individuals who work remotely in different cities across the nation with specific tasks. His job is to “help align our tasks and responsibilities towards the mission of equipping students to love the Lord with the entirety of their minds.”

One of Salazar’s favorite aspects of his position has been planning the National Hispanic Education Summit. The summit is a conference where university and faith leaders come for scholarly research and discussion to help successfully recruit, retain, and graduate Hispanic students on the college campus. He says he has also enjoyed getting to co-host the “Raising the Standards” show on TBN’s Hispanic network.

Girien (pronounced Gideon) Salazar graduated from SAGU in 2007 with a bachelor’s in Church Ministry and then again in 2013 with a M.A. in Theological Studies. Since graduation, Salazar served as a missionary in Mexico teaching English before joining the Naval Reserves in 2010. He volunteered for deployments to both Eastern Europe and Africa. He has also served as an Associate Professor of Theology at the Latin American Bible Institute and as a city official with San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Board.

For current students, Salazar says, “Identify the kind of leaders and ministers you desire to be like and find ways to surround yourself with them. Your philosophy will largely determine your outcomes, and when you can surround yourself with great leaders you can discover their greater philosophy which produces the kind of results they have in ministry.”

Regarding the future of NHCLC, Girien says, “We are meeting more and more Hispanics that are committed to seeing their communities and nation healthy and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am looking forward to the continual rise and placement of Spirit-filled men and women leading our cities, states, and nation.”

About SAGU:

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.