Marisa Rivera-Albert

NHLI, President

Ms. Rivera-Albert is the President of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and leadership development of Hispanic women.  NHLI's mission is to develop Hispanas as ethical world leaders through training, professional development, relationship building and community and world activism. Prior to becoming President of the Institute, Marisa Rivera-Albert was Vice-President of Development for the organization. Ms. Rivera-Albert has over 26 years of combined educational, leadership development, consulting and community development experience.  Before coming to NHLI, Ms. Rivera-Albert worked in higher education as the Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Relations at Black Hawk College in Illinois. She also worked for seven years at Western Illinois University managing the Hispanic Program for Educational Advancement and the Learning To Lead Program for Hispanic students.  Her work experience also includes several assignments overseas, including working for the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Embassy in Panama and living in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for two years.  Most recently she served as an International elections observer in Honduras. 

Ms. Rivera-Albert is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico.  She has a BA in Communications from American University and a Master's degree in Education Administration from Western Illinois University.  She is also a graduate of the Harvard University JFK School of Government Executive Program, the Center for Creative Leadership, the Gallup Leadership Institute and the Mexican American Solidarity Foundation. She is the recipient of the Superior Honor Award from the State Department, the Administrative Excellence In Promoting Multiculturalism Award from Western Illinois University, the Illumination Award from the City Club of the Quad Cities and the Global Impact Leadership Award from the Hispanic Women Conference.  She has been featured in Hispanic Magazine, the TV show Hispanics Today, LatinaStyle Magazine, Monster.com and the Soy Latina, Soy Unica SAHMSA website.

Ms. Rivera-Albert has extensive community service and volunteering experience.  She is a Board member for the U.S. Committee for UNIFEM, The United Nations Development Fund for Women. She was appointed by Governor Mark Warner of Virginia to the Commission on the Status of Women, 2003. She was also a Board member for Habitat for Humanity in Northern Virginia, has volunteered for many Latina Youth groups, the Red Cross of America, the Make a Difference National Project, the March of Dimes, the Boys and Girls Club, the Read Aloud Program, the Quad Cities Minority Achievement Project, Quad Cities Mentoring Program, Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce Leadership, the Civil Institute for Women of Color, and many others.

She is a frequent keynote speaker on women issues, Hispanic Affairs, multicultural and leadership topics.  She is a strong advocate of Latino issues, women's equality and justice, youth empowerment and women entrepreneurship. Her specialized skills include; managerial experience in program development, leadership training, marketing, diversity training, communications, international experience and fundraising.