Dr. Sandy Magaña, professor in autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities and executive director of the Texas Center for Disability Studies, was named to the 2025 Texas 10 by the Texas Exes Alcade Magazine.
Since 2011, the Alcalde has asked students and alumni to submit nominations every year for The Texas 10 teaching awards, forming a cohort of the most excellent professors at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Magaña’s research focuses on autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities, and her nomination noted she teaches one of the few classes at UT focused on disabilities, particularly social work’s role in care for those with disabilities.
Throughout her seven years at UT, Magaña has taken on a variety of leadership roles. In 2021 she became the director for the Texas Center for Disability Studies and worked to create the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program, a nine-month training opportunity for graduate students to become leaders in the field of social work.
“Her impact will ripple through practitioners and the people they serve for decades to come,” Katrina Thompson, MS ’21, wrote to the Alcalde about Dr. Magaña. “I cannot understate the impact she also had on me personally, as a single parent with a huge career gap, helping me get my career started and encouraging me along the way.”