José earned a M.Ed. from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he also served as assistant dean of the Graduate College and director of Minority Programs. He is responsible for the daily operational activities, including budget management, finances, project management, committee representation, community engagement, supervision, university-wide programming, administrative functions, ensuring compliance with all university policies and programs, marketing, assistance with alleged complaints of discrimination, developing long-term strategic goals and strategies, and Affirmative Action Plan development. He serves on several state-wide boards and committees, including the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) program, the Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education (ILACHE), the Illinois African American and Latino Higher Education Alliance (IALHEA).
At UIC, José was responsible for the administration of the Graduate College's Summer Research Opportunity Program, Pathways Program, the Urban Health Program and several fellowship programs. He has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, including student services, academic affairs, administration, budget management, diversity programming, fellowship management, advising, assessment, recruitment and teaching.