Latina Storytelling as a Strategy for Leadership, Education, and Community Change

Dr. Mary Margaret Carrillo (Doctora MMC) is a speaker, scholar, and storyteller who turns Latina narratives into strategies for transformation in education, leadership, and community spaces.

She designs keynotes and workshops that feel like a plática and a strategy session in one grounded in research, cultura, and real-world action for institutions that want to move beyond statements to meaningful change.

Speaking

Signature Speaking Topics

Embracing Your Culture and Lived Experiences as Change Tools

A leadership training that helps teams in business, education, and community settings transform culture, family stories, and lived experiences into concrete strategies that strengthen teams and advance equity and belonging.

Stronger Together: Thriving Through Community — How To Build Power Within Our Communities and Brave Connections Beyond Them

Practical strategies for students and professionals to navigate environments while honoring their culture, building sustaining communities, and leading with authenticity.

Elevating Latina Voices and Allies in Education and Leadership

A leadership training that helps teams in business, education, and community settings transform culture, family stories, and lived experiences into concrete strategies that strengthen teams.

Featured Presentations

TACHE 51st State Conference – Keynote

Title: Elevating Latina Voices: Leadership, Storytelling, and Community Impact
Organization: Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE)
Date: March 2026

This keynote explores why Latina voices are essential to the future of higher education and community leadership, blending data, personal narrative, and concrete actions institutions and individuals can take to build cultures of belonging.

Women of Color Leadership Summit – “The State of Women: A Special Address”

Host: Action Research Center – Women of Color Leadership Summit
Format: Virtual keynote address
Focus: “The Collective: Telling the Stories of Women of Color” and the role of narrative in connecting global women of color leaders, expanding access to leadership, and inspiring cross-community action.

Dr. Carrillo shares how storytelling becomes a leadership tool for women of color, weaving Latina Voices Institute’s work with global examples of women using their voices to influence policy, education, and community change.

IAFOR International Academic Forum – Tokyo Presentation

Title: Cultural Educational Narratives: An Exploration of Latina Stories
Conference: International Academic Forum (IAFOR) – Tokyo, Japan
Date: May 2024

In this international talk, Dr. Carrillo explores how stories from cultural communities about education cultural educational narratives—shape Latinas’ college decision-making, aspirations, and sense of belonging, highlighting themes of familia, funding, and faith.

The Paris Conference on Education (PCE2025), IAFOR

Title: The Power of Narratives: Empowering Communities Through Latina Educational Stories and Uzbek Food Discourse in Children’s Literature
Host: The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) – The Paris Conference on Education (PCE2025)
Location: Sorbonne University International Conference Center (CICSU), Paris, France
Date: June 2025

Focus: How Latina educational narratives and Uzbek food-centered stories in children’s literature shape identity, belonging, and cross-cultural understanding, and how these narratives can be used as tools for community empowerment and educational change.

Dr. Carrillo explores the parallels between these two narrative traditions and demonstrates how centering everyday cultural stories—at the table, in the classroom, and in community can strengthen equity-focused teaching, scholarship, and advocacy.

University of Michigan – MSI Connect Speaker Series

Title: Stronger Together: Amplifying Our Voices in PWI Spaces
Host: Rackham Graduate School – MSI Connect Program
Date: March 2026
Audience: Graduate students transitioning from Minority Serving Institutions to the University of Michigan

This session offers practical frameworks for students of color moving from MSI environments into predominantly white institutions, focusing on rebuilding community, understanding mentorship vs. sponsorship, and sustaining wellbeing while pursuing advanced degrees.

Texas Graduate Liberal Studies Symposium (AGLSP) – Beyond the Degree

Title: Beyond the Degree: Celebrating Culture, Sparking Movements
Event: Texas Graduate Liberal Studies Symposium
Format: Plenary-style presentation connecting liberal studies scholarship to movement-building

Dr. Carrillo traces her journey as a liberal studies scholar and founder of Latina Voices Institute, demonstrating how interdisciplinary inquiry, testimonio, and community storytelling can move from research to real-world impact.

Audiences Served

Dr. Carrillo speaks to:

Colleges, universities, and community organizations (students, faculty, staff, leadership teams).
Conferences focused on education, leadership, equity, and women of color.
Community organizations, nonprofits, foundations, and leadership programs.
She tailors each talk to the host’s goals, weaving in local context, data, and stories from the communities you serve.

Book Doctora MMC to Speak

Ready to bring Latina storytelling and leadership strategy to your campus, conference, or community?

Email: admin@LatinavoicesInstitute.com
Include: event date(s), audience, format (keynote, workshop, fireside chat), and any specific goals or themes.

Dr. Carrillo and the Latina Voices Institute team will follow up with a brief consultation to co-design an experience that aligns with your mission, timeline, and budget.