Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick is a senior fellow with the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. Harper-Marinick served the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona for almost 30 years in a variety of leadership roles, including nearly four years as chancellor. Maria has served on the boards of the American Council of Education, American Association of Community Colleges, Excelencia in Education, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and many other organizations. She chaired the Federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance and is an Aspen Institute Ascend fellow and a distinguished fellow of the Arizona State University Morrison Institute for Public Policy. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education named Maria one of 25 exceptional women leaders who have made a difference in higher education. Maria is originally from the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar. She holds masters and Ph.D. degrees in educational technology from ASU.

Stories featuring Maria Harper-Marinick

Graphic showing a student's hand holding a graduation cap against a blue background.
Press ReleasesSeptember 28, 2023
Photo of student parent Waukecha Wilkerson with her family at her graduation ceremony.
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children.
Press ReleasesMay 3, 2023
Ascend is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of the Postsecondary Leadership Circle (Leadership Circle) for Parents: A prestigious group of college and university leaders that will advise the Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative – a multi-year effort to raise awareness of and share recommendations to better support students who are parents. During …

Ascend’s New College President Advisory Group to Implement Best Practices on Campus to Advance Student Parent Success Read More »

BlogApril 2, 2020
The opinions expressed in this piece are those of the undersigned members of the 2015 class of Ascend Fellows and don’t necessarily represent the views of the Aspen Institute. Ascend Fellows are entrepreneurial leaders with the vision to advance the educational success, economic security, and health and well-being of children and families. It is with …

Statement on Immigration Executive Order: Leaders Warn it Will Hurt Low-Income Families Read More »

BlogFebruary 8, 2017

Convenings Featuring Maria Harper-Marinick

Location: Virtual (Zoom)
A conversation between powerful pairs of field leaders and innovators as they share insights grounded in experience about 2Gen solutions that will transform families’ lives and communities....
ConveningJune 8, 2021