Dr. Marcela Ramirez-Stapleton is an educational leader, researcher and public speaker with nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and public service. She is committed to educational equity and college access for all underserved populations.  She has served as a college professor, scholar practitioner and community advocate who inspires individuals to become social advocates, change makers, and dream weavers.

Dr. Ramirez-Stapleton is a cultural center historian and researcher with a strong base of practical experience in multicultural affairs. One of her proudest endeavors was serving as the Founding Director of the Middle Eastern Student Center at the University of California, Riverside; the first cultural center of its kind in the UC System and in California. She served as a Past-President of the California Council of Cultural Centers in Higher Education (CaCCCHE). CaCCCHE is a network of higher education leaders committed to social justice and educational equity on college campuses.

Additionally, Dr. Ramirez-Stapleton is a University of California (UC) Regent Emerita. During her doctoral studies, she was appointed by the UC Board of Regents to serve as the 42nd Student Regent and was involved in higher education policy and advocacy work at the state and federal level. For her years of community involvement, she was recognized as a “Woman of Distinction” by Jose Medina, California State Assembly Member and Chair of the Higher Education Committee. She is also a CA Educational Policy Alumna and HOPE Latinas fellow who remains involved in statewide higher education policy work.

Dr. Ramirez-Stapleton received her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Policy at the University of California, Riverside. She received an M.S. in counseling with an emphasis on student development and higher education from California State University, Long Beach, and received a B.A in Economics and French from California State University, Fullerton.

Rall, R., Ramirez-Stapleton, M., & Galan, C. (2021). A Contrarian’s Guide to the Student Trusteeship: Stories Modeling Purpose, Persistence, and Legacy on the UC Board of Regents. College Student Journal, 55(4), 440-456.

Ramirez, M. L. (2018). Schoolhouse of resistance: Critical counterstories of grassroots organizers and campus change agents in California cultural centers. University of California, Riverside.