Dr. Maria Isabel Morales-Sánchez

President

Dr. María Isabel Morales-Sánchez (she/her) is the Director of the El Corazón Center for Teaching and Learning at Wenatchee Valley College (WVC). She holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Eastern Washington University and a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education from Washington State University. Dr. Morales-Sánchez is an experienced educator and an expert facilitator of cross-cultural discussions and difficult dialogue, having taught in higher education, led transformative programs for incarcerated youth, and facilitated community-based education workshops with indigenous youth in Mexico.

Deeply committed to regional equity and local advocacy, she actively channels her leadership into non-profit board service and community involvement. Grounded in her family’s legacy as farmworkers and immigrants, she is a strong advocate for building spaces of joy and is dedicated to dismantling racism and all forms of oppression to sustain a healthy, inclusive, and compassionate future that authentically respects indigenous peoples, children/young people, and local knowledge systems.