Hispanic Latino Commission names Dr. Isabel Montemayor-Vazquez new Executive Director

Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan (HLCOM) announced Dr. Isabel Montemayor-Vazquez as its new Executive Director. HLCOM selected Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez, a native of Lansing, for her extensive experience and professional achievements in health and immigration policies research.

"I look forward to serving as the Executive Director of the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan and working closely with commissioners and stakeholders to better the lives of Hispanic/Latinos throughout Michigan," said Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez. "I appreciate the Commission's confidence in me, and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to lead such a meaningful organization that aligns with a mission and goals close to my heart."

Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez graduated from Lansing Public Schools, later earning her degree in Spanish and Political Science from Central Michigan University. She attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, gaining a master's degree in Latin American Studies and later earning both her master's and Doctoral degree in Cultural Anthropology from Michigan State University. Her experience after graduation includes working as Senior Research Associate at the Michigan Public Health Institute, where she conducted a qualitative assessment of Michigan's expanded Medicaid, the Healthy Michigan Plan and in urban centers across the state of Michigan.

Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez also 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, she was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the Sociology and Anthropology Department, teaching courses on Latino Health, Medical Anthropology and the Border.

Dr. Montemayor-Vazquez's research has focused on how health and immigration policies in the United States and Mexico impact mixed-status families' daily lives, and health in Lansing and Eastern Michoacan.

While at the University of Texas at Arlington, she was a research associate with the Center for Mexican American Studies. She served on various task forces and committees, and mentored dozens of first-generation undergraduate students on their path to graduate school.

"Isabel 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 Monica B. Reyes, HLCOM Chair. "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 her guidance in the challenging years ahead of us."

Learn more about the commission at www.michigan.gov/HLCOM.