Jorge Baldor ’93

An entrepreneur and advocate empowering future leaders, Jorge Baldor ’93 has used his entrepreneurial spirit and energy to empower others and prepare the next generation of leaders, particularly within the Latino community.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Baldor emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 6 years old. He graduated from Dallas ISD’s Skyline High School and embarked upon a career as an entrepreneur before pursuing higher education. “As an entrepreneur, I started a business and, seven years after high school, I started attending SMU to gain the best educational experience for my own enrichment and not a career,” he says.

On the Hilltop, he majored in history and minored in political science before graduating cum laude in 1993. He credits SMU for his critical thinking skills and values the small class sizes and highly engaging and knowledgeable professors.

Baldor is the founder and board chair of After8toEducate, an organization that has created a national model for addressing youth homelessness. Through the organization, a former elementary school was converted to a shelter and drop-in center for homeless high school students.

A lover of the arts, Baldor also founded the Latino Arts Project, a pop-up museum with exhibitions and social and cultural programming through art. He supports the Dallas Museum of Art and SMU’s Meadows Museum. He provided sponsorship for the DMA’s Mexico 1900–1950: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jose Clemente Orozco and the Avant-Garde, the second-highest attended exhibit.

Baldor serves on the boards of the Cara Mia Theatre, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board and the Parkland Health Foundation. He is the past chair of the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth and DHA Housing Solutions of North Texas. He has previously served on the boards of the Dallas Regional Chamber, Social Venture Partners and SMU’s Dedman College Executive Board. He also endowed the Santos Rodriguez Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund in SMU’s Human Rights Program.

Recognized for his impact, Baldor received SMU’s Distinguished Hispanic Alumni Award in 2017 and SMU’s Human Rights Program Triumph of the Spirit Award in 2021. He received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2022 and has also been named a Texan of the Year finalist by The Dallas Morning News and a Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Award finalist by D CEO magazine.

He also received the OHTLI Award, which is the highest award given by the Mexican government for the promotion of Mexican culture presented to an individual living outside of Mexico. It is rarely granted to a non-Mexican citizen. Additionally, he has received the Orden de Merito Cuidadano by the Central American Integration System (SICA) for contributions to the well-being of Central Americans living in the United States.

Baldor is the son of Juan and Herminia Baldor.