In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Tyler Junior College will welcome attorney Nicanor (Nick) Pesina Jr. as the inaugural guest speaker for its Distinguished Lecture Series.
The lecture will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, in Jean Browne Theatre on the TJC main campus. Admission is free, but seating is limited and registration is required. To register for free tickets, go to www.tjc.edu/events and click on the Oct. 9 Distinguished Lecture Series link.
The TJC Distinguished Lecture Series was established to promote cultural awareness, tolerance, and understanding through enlightened education and authentic discussion.
Pesina is an attorney and partner at Roberts & Roberts, P.C. in Tyler and an active member of the community. He serves on the City of Tyler Half Cent Sales Tax Board, People Attempting To Help (Vice President), Niños de Promesa (Board of Directors), Smith County Young Lawyers Association, and as the president of the Tyler-Smith County Chapter of Texas Exes. Pesina is also the founder of the Hispanic Professionals Association of Tyler. He is currently a member of Leadership Tyler Class 31 and a Leadership Academy fellow with the Latino Center for Leadership Development.
He has a diverse professional and educational background and has worked at the city, state, and federal levels of government prior to becoming a lawyer.
After graduate school, he joined the Texas Senate Committee on International Relations & Trade chaired by State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr., as a senior policy analyst/committee clerk. He has varied experience in legislative areas, including: local government, the Office of Speaker Joe Straus of the Texas House of Representatives, and the Office of General Counsel at the Texas Health & Human Services Commission. His policy experience ranges from staffing and monitoring the Senate Finance Committee, the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee, and issues affecting the Texas-Mexico border. He has staffed senior members in the Texas Senate and House on both sides of the political aisle.
A first-generation college student, Pesina received both his Bachelor’s in Political Science/Spanish along with a Master’s in Public Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University. He received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was inducted into its prestigious Order of the Barristers and was recognized with a Pro Bono Service Award in 2012.