Dr. Suzanne Rivera Named 17th President of Macalester College

The Macalester College Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Suzanne Rivera as the college’s 17th President. Dr. Rivera comes to Macalester from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) where she is serving as Vice President for Research and Technology Management. She will begin her term as President this summer.

Dr. Rivera is Macalester College’s first woman President and first Latina President. “Dr. Rivera has distinguished herself through her work as an ethicist; her record of advancing the values of service, internationalism, and multiculturalism that define our institution; and her accomplishments as a senior leader in academia,” says Jerry Crawford ’71, Chair of the Macalester College Board of Trustees. “Her depth of knowledge and strategic thinking, as well as her ability to inspire, will serve the Macalester community well as we look to the opportunities and challenges of the future. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Rivera to Macalester.”

Dr. Rivera holds a BA in American Civilization from Brown University, a Master of Social Welfare degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is an accomplished leader having guided CWRU’s $400M research enterprise. In addition, she served in administrative and research leadership roles at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of California, Irvine. She is active nationally in research policy, and in a range of social justice and equity initiatives.

Marla Pérez-Davis Named Acting Center Director for NASA’s Glenn Research Center

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has named Marla Pérez-Davis as the acting center director for NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Since June 2016, Pérez-Davis has served as the deputy director of Glenn, sharing responsibility with the center director for planning, organizing, and managing the agency-level programs and projects assigned to the center.

Prior to this appointment, she served as deputy director of the center’s Research and Engineering Directorate and was responsible for leading, planning, coordinating, and managing all phases of Glenn’s research and engineering activities to accomplish NASA missions.

Since joining Glenn in 1983, Pérez-Davis has held a number of other key positions, including director of the Aeronautics Research Office; chief of the Project Liaison and Integration Office; and chief of the Electrochemistry Branch. She also participated in the NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program and served her tenure at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, where she developed and implemented initiatives leading to K-12 teacher’s professional development and other outreach activities in Puerto Rico.

Pérez-Davis, a native of Puerto Rico, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico, a master’s degree from the University of Toledo and a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in chemical engineering. In 2006, she completed NASA’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program and the Office of Personnel Management Program.

Monica L. Martinez Named Comerica Bank Senior Vice President of National Community Affairs

Comerica Bank has named Monica L. Martinez, Senior Vice President of National Community Affairs. Martinez’s responsibilities will expand nationally to oversee the bank’s external community initiatives and partnerships, Comerica’s diversity business resource groups, and corporate volunteer programming within low – and moderate-income communities.

Martinez will continue to manage the bank’s national Hispanic business development program and serve as the community liaison in Michigan, focusing on deepening community partnerships.

“Monica has played an instrumental role in developing and nurturing our community relationships that have positively impacted individuals, families, and organizations that we proudly serve,” says Michael T. Ritchie, Comerica Bank Michigan market president.

Fluent in Spanish and English, Martinez holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University, where she majored in International Business with a focus in Marketing. For her graduate work, she studied Interdisciplinary Technology with a concentration in Business Management at Eastern Michigan University. She earned certificates in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and Corporate Community Relations Management from Boston College. Martinez also is a graduate of the prestigious SMU Management program and is certified in Diversity Management from Cornell University. Martinez actively serves on the board of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber, SER Jobs for Progress National, New Detroit, the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, and is the chairperson of the Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan Hispanic Advisory Committee.