J. Renato Iturriaga (S 1964, 1967)

2013 Alumni Lifetime (Distinguished) Achievement Award

Bio

Studying computer science at CMU, J. Renato Iturriaga (S 1964, 1967) earned his PhD in computer science the same year that both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had their 12th birthdays. Randy Bryant, dean of CMU’s School of Computer Science, affectionately refers to Iturriaga as “serial number one” because he was the college’s “first computer science alumnus.”

He has put his degree to good use. Recently, he was appointed as the liaison between the Federal Ministry of Education and the governor of the State of Morelos, Mexico. The Cuernavaca, Mexico resident has also held top positions in the country’s higher education, corporate, and government sectors. As a professor at UNAM, he founded and headed the Center for Applied Mathematics and Systems. In addition, he has worked at Banamex, the largest Mexican bank and has held executive positions in numerous Mexican government agencies.