I serve within the senior leadership role at APA and as a critical partner to the Medical Deputy Director and Chief of the Division of Diversity and Health Equity in shaping the overall vision of the division portfolio and increasing the effectiveness and capacity of its operations. I am responsible for managing the internal day-to-day operations in a strategic manner focusing on personnel, planning, and serving as the operational lead for the creation, development, and advancement of mental health equity initiatives, as well as supporting the Chief with oversight of the division’s budgeting and business operations, and facilitating a collaborative, strategic, and efficient workflow. In addition, I continue to lead the development of health equity with our members and APA administration to build health equity as a core competency through collaboration with APA departments, the development of health equity related programs, and the creation of member-facing materials that promote health equity as a component of improving mental health outcomes.
Over the span of my 20-year career, I have served in various higher education and public health professional capacities with a commitment to increase diverse, inclusive, and equitable pipelines to postsecondary education, health care, and workforce opportunities. As a champion for diversity and inclusion, I have collaborated with partners such as President Barack Obama’s White House Council on Women and Girls and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to advance the National STEM Collaborative, a consortium of higher education institutions and non-profit partners focused on scaling research evidence-based skills and knowledge, resources and practices on access, completion, and workforce development for women of color in STEM. I am an alumnus of ASU having earned a Bachelor of Arts (2003) in Sociology with a minor in Chicana/o Studies, a Master of Education (2006) and Doctorate in Education (2012). The principles of diversity and inclusion were well rooted in my academic research as my dissertation examined Enhancing the Math and Science Experiences of Latinas and Latinos: A Study of the Joaquín Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program at ASU.