LANSING, Mich.— After an extensive and rigorous search led by the HLCOM Commission Committee, we are proud to announce that Dr. Isabel Montemayor has been selected for the position of Executive Director.
The Committee made this selection based on Isabel’s extensive experience and professional achievements. Dr. Isabel Montemayor-Vazquez is a native of Lansing Michigan. She attended and graduated from Lansing Public Schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University, double majoring in Spanish and Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and Comparative Politics-Magna Cum Laude. Dr. Montemayor then attended graduate school at The University of Texas at Austin where she earned a master’s degree in Latin American Studies. Her studies then brought her back to Michigan State University where she earned a master’s degree and a Doctoral degree in Cultural Anthropology. Upon completion of her Ph.D., she was hired as a Senior Research Associate at the Michigan Public Health Institute where she conducted a qualitative assessment of Michigan’s expanded Medicaid, the Healthy Michigan Plan, in urban centers across the state of Michigan. While in Michigan Dr. Montemayor served as an executive board member with the Lansing Latino Health Alliance advocating for equitable health care access for Latinos in Ingham County. In 2015 Dr. Montemayor was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the Sociology and Anthropology Department where she taught courses on Latino Health, Medical Anthropology, and the Border. Over the years, her transnational research has focused on how both health and immigration policies in the U.S and Mexico impact the daily lives and health of mixed-status families in Lansing, Michigan, and Eastern Michoacan. While at UTA she was a research associate with the Center for Mexican American Studies, she served on various task forces and committees and mentored dozens of undergraduate first-generation students on their path to graduate school. “I look forward to serving as the Executive Director of the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan. As I move forward I look forward to working closely with commissioners and stakeholders to better the lives of Hispanic/Latinos throughout Michigan”.
“Isabel’s is a positive energetic leader. We are confident that Isabel’s many talents, collaborative-engaging leadership approach, and wide-ranging education and experiences will help as we embark on the goals and challenges faced by the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan”. Said Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan Chair Monica B. Reyes “The Commission is excited to work with Isabel as our new executive director and confident that the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan will be well-positioned under the guidance in the challenging years ahead of us.”
“I appreciate the commissions confidence in me, and I’ so grateful to have the opportunity to lead such a meaningful organization that aligns with a mission and goals close to my heart,” said Isabel Montemayor The purpose of the COMMISSION is to develop a unified policy and plan of action to serve the needs of Michigan’s Hispanic people.
The Commission makes recommendations to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Office regarding the coordination and administration of state programs, statutes, and policies serving Hispanic people. The Commission advises the Governor and the Legislature of the nature, magnitude, and priorities of the problems of Hispanic people. The Commission also advocates for the well-being of the Hispanic/Latino population with the vision of achieving an environment of social justice and economic parity for the Hispanic/Latino population. The Hispanic/Latino Commission is composed of a 15-member Commission under the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO).
To learn more about the Hispanic Latino Commission and it’s role in the State of Michigan please find them at the following links:
Website: Office of Global Michigan – Hispanic/Latino Commission
