New director set to take over Leadership Rice

By Cindy Dinh     8/27/09 7:00pm

As the new school year begins, Leadership Rice will have a new head. David Niño is taking the helm this month as the new director of the club. He replaces previous director Brad Smith who will pursue a doctorate degree in sociology at Princeton University.Niño will be administering two programs under Leadership Rice: the Summer Mentorship Experience, which places Rice students with internships and mentors over the summer, and the Envision Grant, which awards up to $2,500 to fund a student project that impacts Rice or the community.

"The best way to be a leader is to lead," Niño said, adding that these programs enable students to make an impact. "When students focus on academics, it becomes a challenge to not develop in other ways."

Besides directing Leadership Rice's two programs, Niño also teaches a course on Leadership Theory and Practice, which past directors have not done before, he said.

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"In teaching this course you can really help students not only learn how to lead but find ways to make an impact," Niño said.

In addition to theoretical concepts, Niño said he will incorporate case studies to help students confront situations that leaders may face.

Smith said Niño comes to Rice with substantial credentials in teaching leadership, with nine years of teaching experience at the at the university level and 15 years teaching executives at the University of Houston's campuses and University of Texas at Austin.

"He would be someone who connects with students and with the mission of Leadership Rice," Smith said.

Since receiving his doctorate degree in management in 2002 at Texas, Niño has served as faculty for his alma mater and at UH Downtown, teaching courses in organizational communication and management to undergraduates, graduates and senior executives. He also taught courses on leading teams at the Jesse H. Jones School of Business earlier this year before becoming director of Leadership Rice.

While Niño said he is still learning how to administer the Leadership Rice programs and courses, he intends to implement his goals to expand the program's breadth and visibility. These include updating the Leadership Rice Web site with videos from students about their internships and, in the future, expanding the Summer Mentorship Experience by including more international internship placements in Latin America or Asia. Placements in India, France and London are set for next year in addition to domestic placements in Houston, Washington, D.C. and New York.

He said his personal views on building students' leadership potential aligns with the university's overall goals.

"This is a place that is very committed to undergraduates, and I love to help undergraduate students develop in ways that enable them to make a distinctive impact in the world," Niño said.

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