Mariana Ortega

The image is a portrait of a woman smiling directly at the camera. She has long, curly dark hair that falls over her shoulders. She is dressed in a vibrant yellow blazer and underneath it, she is wearing a colorful striped top featuring vertical stripes in shades of blue, orange, pink, and white. The background of the image is blurred with tones of green and light brown, likely suggesting an outdoor setting. The woman's expression is joyful, and her smile is broad, showing her teeth.

ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT

Mariana Ortega, born in Guatemala and raised in Nicaragua, is currently a Ph.D. student in the College of Education with a focus on Human Resources and Development at the University of Illinois. Her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are from The University of West Florida. Mariana identifies as a proud first-generation Latina using she/her/ella as pronouns.

Mariana is the current Assistant Vice President of Diversity Initiatives at New Mexico State University within the Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Division. Within this role she oversees the five cultural and resource programs: American Indian Program, Asian Pacific Islander Program, Black Program, Latin American Program, LGBT+ Program.

Previously, served as the Director for La Casa Cultural Latina at The University of Illinois. Under her leadership at La Casa, her team expanded, created, and implemented several signature programs, such as the Black & Latinx Summit, the Richard Chavez Ambassador program, IlliNiños, We RISE, C-Cube, expanded on Undocumented/DACA collaborations and many more. Within her tenure as Director of La Casa, student engagement tripled, and fundraising efforts/donor relations increased by 80%. During La Casa’s 50th anniversary Mariana launched a 50k capital campaign while guiding the process of a new facility for La Casa. During her time in Central IL she was recognized for various awards for her commitment to the community, not limited to Central Illinois Business Magazine’s Forty Under 40 award.

Between 2013-2019, she worked at New Mexico State University, where she developed an inaugural Orientation, Transition, and Retention program that served the needs of the students while centering the families in developing a Spanish program, in establishment of the Aggie Welcome and Orientation Office. Over the past 14 years, Mariana Ortega has devoted her Higher Education commitment and knowledge to recruitment, retention, transition, and serving underrepresented groups with an equity, inclusion, and diversity focus.

Fun Fact: In her free time, Mariana loves spending time with her 11 year old Pitmix Harley Jenkins Ortega, visiting coffee shops, breweries, spending time outdoors, and visiting with friends.

MARIANA ORTEGA

Assistant Vice President, Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.