Meet our writers

We are an extended family and we take advantage of opportunities to work together.

  • Gary M. Stern

    +50 articles

    Gary Stern, a contributing writer for HO  has written hundreds of articles that have appeared in such leading publications as The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, USA Weekend, Crain's New York Business, Electronic Business, and Tennis. 

  • Frank DiMaria

    +50 articles

    Frank DiMaria is a freelance writer living South Carolina. When he’s not writing he teaches computer science and digital literacy in a middle school in Fort Mill.

  • Mary Ann Cooper

    +50 articles

    Whether the subject is health care or movies, women's issues or trends in television, Mary Ann has written about it or spoken about it. She is the author of more than 100 book projects including “Natural Cures for Common Diseases,” “101 Ways to Pamper Yourself,” and "Easy Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol." She was a nationally syndicated columnist for 30 years and contributing writer to an eclectic group of magazines including Hispanic Outlook, Women's World, Television Week, GRAND Magazine, Boxoffice Magazine, Looking Good Now Magazine, and American Media Special Magazines.  

  • Gustavo A. Mellander

    +40 articles

    Dr. Mellander was a university dean for 15 years and a college president for 20.

  • Enrique Del Risco

    +40 articles

    Enrique Del Risco Arrocha, also known as Enrisco, was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1967. He has a degree in History from the University of Havana and a doctorate in Latin American Literature from New York University (NYU), where he currently works. as a teacher in the department of Spanish and Portuguese. He was a finalist for the Cintas Foundation Fellowship for Creative Writing -for the project “Trilogía cubana del Hudson” (2011), and has received the following awards: Prize of the Contest Trece de Marzo 1993, Prize of Short Story magazine “Revolución y Cultura” 1994, Villa Awards de Madrid 1996 and V Ibero-American Cortes de Cádiz Award 2008, for the works: Shrunken Works (1992), Loss and recovery of innocence (1994), Crocodile tears (1998), Leve Historia de Cuba (2007), and ¿Qué Will they think of us in Japan? (2008).

  • Peggy Sands Orchowski

    +30 articles

    Peggy (Dr. Margaret) Sands Orchowski Ph.D. has been the credentialed Congressional Correspondent for the Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education magazine in Washington DC since 2006.  Her new book “The Law That Changed the Face of America: the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965” was published by Rowman & Littlefield in September in time for the 50th anniversary of its signing.

All our writers

Rosalinda Godinez, Ph.D.

Dr. Godinez is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Cleveland State University in the Center for Urban Education. She received her Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Studies at the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley. As an educational ethnographer, her research is deeply rooted in social justice orientations, lived experiences, and her desire to establish collaborative partnerships that honor people’s everyday lives and education practices of community, movement, and imagination.

Madeline Pumariega

Madeline Pumariega is the first female president of Miami Dade College (MDC), one of the nation’s largest educational institutions. Prior to becoming MDC’s president, Pumariega was appointed the first female and Hispanic chancellor of the Florida College System (FCS). In 2019, Pumariega became the executive vice president and provost of Tallahassee Community College. In her current role, Pumariega has prioritized working with business partners to identify the skills needed by key industries and tailoring higher education programs to match those needs.   

Adriana Rodríguez

Adriana Rodriguez is the Vice President for Programs at Excelencia in Education. She leads the strategic direction and operations of the Programs team to ensure high-quality implementation of two major portfolios (Examples of Excelencia and Seal of Excelencia certification). Adriana has 20 years of experience in the non-profit education sector.   

Deborah Santiago

Deborah Santiago is the Co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education. She has led research and advanced evidence-based practices and strategies to accelerate Latino student success for over 20 years. She has held leadership positions around the country, and is often cited in media on issues related to student success.   

Fernando Paz

Fernando Paz is a Cal Poly Humboldt graduate with a BA in History and Ethnic Studies (2008). He currently serves as the Campus and Community Development Coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and has previously coordinated El Centro Académico Cultural at the university.    

Dr. Katia Paz Goldfarb

Dr. Katia Paz Goldfarb, inaugural Associate Provost for Hispanic Initiatives and International Programs Montclair State University. Professor/Founding Chair Family Science & Human Development. Fellow-NCFR. Fellow Academia de Liderazgo-HACU. Research: immigrant/transnational families, family sustainability, and HSIs. PI, NSF B&B Conference: The Long-Term Impact of COVID 19 on Latino Communities-Tri-State Area. Media: Univision/Telemundo/ABC/NBC/CBS News.  

Monica Gonzalez Ybarra

Dr. González Ybarra is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy and Latina/Latino studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research examines the language, literacies, and knowledge production of Latinx youth and educators as they are situated within sociopolitical contexts. She focuses on how these practices intersect with social constructions of race, gender, class, sexuality, and citizenship status.   

Idalia Nuñez

Idalia Nuñez is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy with an emphasis on bilingualism and bilingual education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research is focused on linguistic equity in bilingual classrooms serving students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Her work looks closely at Latinx bilingual students’ everyday language practices, experiences in and out of school spaces, and agency.    

Giselle Martinez Negrette

Giselle Martinez Negrette is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds an M.A. in Education with a concentration in Bilingual Education & TESOL from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research interests center on issues of language, equity, and social justice.  

Gaby Perez

 Gaby Perez is a current PhD student in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis. Her research interests examine the journeys of Latinx students from urban environments. 

Marcela G. Cuellar, PhD

Marcela G. Cuellar, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis. Her research examines postsecondary equity with a focus on Latinx/a/o student experiences and outcomes at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs.

Anne-Marie Núñez, Ph.D.

  Inaugural Executive Director, Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success Distinguished Centennial Professor in Educational Leadership and Foundations The University of Texas at El Paso.