Dr. James A. M. Álvarez is a Professor of Mathematics and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is currently serving as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Undergraduate Education, Directorate for STEM Education. Dr. Álvarez holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics from Texas A & M University-Commerce and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from The University of Texas. His research and professional interests are in undergraduate mathematics education, focusing on the mathematical preparation of mathematics teachers, mathematical problem solving, and increasing success rates in gateway mathematics courses. His research and teaching have been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Education, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Dr. Alvarez has been an essential contributor to the development and enhancement of mathematics standards and assessments for students and teachers. His work with mathematics standards spans over two decades. Most notably, he served as an expert reviewer of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in mathematics, a writer of the Commissioner’s Draft of the Texas Mathematics Standards, and a writer for the TEKS for Algebraic Reasoning and Statistics. He also served on the College Board’s Advanced Placement Calculus Test Development Committee (2007-2010). Dr. Álvarez’s accomplishments in teaching have been recognized at several levels including the 2010 UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) (2019-2021) and CAMT (2007-2019). He recently served as Chair of the Special Interest Group of the MAA on Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. In 2017, he received an MAA Certificate of Meritorious Service as well as the E. Glenadine Gibb Achievement Award from the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics for his contributions to the improvement of mathematics education at the state and national levels. In 2022, he was inducted into UT-Arlington’s inaugural Academy of Distinguished Service Leaders.