Dr. Mariana Zaragoza is an equity-minded, community-grounded leader with a career spanning higher education policy, educational equity, and organizational development. She currently serves as Lead of Direct Admissions at Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), where she is working on a statewide launch of a proactive admissions program under SB 2421, working to remove barriers and expand college access for Oregon students.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Zaragoza held positions at the Oregon Department of Education and HECC, with a sustained focus on educational equity, migrant education, and youth engagement. She also provides leadership coaching, DEI strategy, and organizational development for education and nonprofit leaders, and teaches sociology at Clark College.
Dr. Zaragoza’s work is grounded in Chicana intellectual tradition and asset-based, community-centered frameworks, rooted in the belief that communities have always held brilliance and leadership. She previously served on the Partners in Diversity Leadership Council and as Board Chair of Fourth Plain Forward, and is honored to continue contributing to Partners in Diversity’s mission of building a more inclusive and equitable region.
Dr. Zaragoza holds a Doctorate in Bicultural Bilingual Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a focus on Ethnic Studies, Education, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, from Oregon State University.
“I decided to rejoin the Community Advisory Committee because it felt like a natural continuation of my earlier work with Partners in Diversity’s Leadership Council. This work matters to me because equity is strongest when it’s rooted in community voice, and I wanted to help carry that forward.”
