Andrés Tijerina retired as Professor Emeritus of History at Austin Community College. He received his B.A. from Texas A&M University, his M.A. from Texas Tech University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Before teaching, he served as State Agency Executive Director of the Texas Good Neighbor Commission and as a Group Manager for Motorola Semiconductor, Inc. in Austin.

Dr. Tijerina has received state and national book prizes for his books such as Tejanos and Texas, Tejano Empire, Beasley’s Vaqueros, and his new K-12 Social Studies textbook Mexican Americans of Texas. His most widely read work is his combat memoir in the Time-Life Books series The Vietnam Experience. As a pilot in the Air Force, Dr. Tijerina flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam, receiving the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, and retiring as a Major.

Dr. Tijerina is a history expert witness in court for state and federal cases on school funding, Voter I.D., and congressional redistricting. He has received Teaching Excellence Awards and the Equity Award from the American Historical Association. He is co-editor of the TSHA online Handbook of Tejano History, and recently served as History Consultant to the Witte Art Museum for the City of San Antonio TRICENTENNIAL in 2018. He is also a Past-President of the Texas Institute of Letters and Member of the Board that erected the Tejano Monument at the state capitol. Dr. Tijerina was the founding Chairperson of the first statewide Texas Hispanic Genealogy Conference held in Austin, Texas in 1979, and was featured in the National Geographic program “Drain the Oceans” episode on “The Alamo.” Most recently, he was nominated for “Texan of the Year” for 2023 by the Dallas Morning News.