Latinas Today
Governor Newsom Appoints Dr. Diana Ramos as California Surgeon General
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of public health leader Dr. Diana Ramos as California Surgeon General. Dr. Ramos has more than three decades of cross-cutting experience and expertise with a focus on health equity and reproductive health. She currently serves at the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Communities, where she oversees the state’s public health and prevention programs.
“California’s Surgeon General has a pivotal role in driving focused solutions to tackle the root causes of our most pressing health challenges and inequities,” said Governor Newsom. “Dr. Ramos is a distinguished leader in medicine and a trusted public health expert who brings a lifetime of experience protecting and promoting the health of vulnerable communities. I look forward to her partnership in advancing urgent priorities for the state on women’s health, mental health, addressing the gun violence epidemic, and more as we continue our work to lift up the health and well-being of all Californians.”
Diana Ramos, M.D., 55, of Laguna Beach, has served as a Public Health Administrator at the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Communities since 2021. She has been an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine since 1999.
Dr. Ramos is an Executive Board Member of the California Maternal Care Quality Collaborative, Secretary of the National Hispanic Medical Association Executive Board and Co-Chair of the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative Implementation Committee. She is a Chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) District IX and Co-Chair of the American Medical Association’s ACOG Delegation.
Meg Medina Named the Country’s First Latina Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
The Library of Congress has named Cuban American writer Meg Medina as its new national ambassador for young people’s literature. Medina, who writes children’s and young adult fiction, is the first Latinx ambassador in the program’s history.
Medina will be touring schools around the country to talk with students in person, as well as maintaining an online presence to interact with students through social media and other platforms. Some activities will be available in both English and Spanish.
Medina’s work examines how cultures intersect through the eyes of young people, and she brings audiences stories that speak to both what is unique in Latino culture and qualities that are universal. Her favorite protagonists are strong girls. In March 2014, she was recognized as one of the CNN 10 Visionary Women in America. In November 2014, she was named one of Latino Stories’ Top Ten Latino Authors to Watch.
Dr. Marta Yera Cronin Appointed First Latina President of Delaware County Community College
Marta Yera Cronin, EdD, currently president of Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles, Oregon, has been selected by Delaware County Community College’s Board of Trustees to become the College’s next president. Dr. Cronin will succeed L. Joy Gates Black, EdD, who will retire on June 30.
Dr. Cronin will be the College’s fifth president since its founding 55 years ago. She also will be the second woman and the first Latina to lead the College.
A highly respected higher education administrator and a first-generation college student born of immigrant parents, Dr. Cronin has over 30 years of experience in education. She has served in community colleges for more than two decades. Prior to her presidency at Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC), she served in various administrative and faculty roles at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, including vice president of Academic Affairs, dean of the School of Education, department chair and full professor. She also has more than a decade of K-12 teaching experience in Florida. Dr. Cronin was chosen by the Board of Trustees after an extensive national search to lead Delaware County Community College, which serves 16,000 credit and non-credit students annually. She will begin her post in July 2023. Passionate about inclusion,
Dr. Cronin currently serves as co-chair of the Oregon Community College Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, co-chair of the board for the Oregon League of Minority Voters and president of the Comunidades board, a bi-state organization dedicated to advocating for and empowering Latino women and youth in the region. Under her leadership, CGCC secured funding for a $16.4M capital project, which led to the design and construction of the Columbia Gorge Regional Skills Center and Chinook Residence Hall on the main campus in The Dalles, Oregon. “I am humbled and honored to be appointed as the next president of Delaware County Community College,” says Dr. Cronin. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead an institution that is so passionate about serving students and residents in Delaware and Chester Counties by providing quality educational programming and inclusive services. I look forward to joining the dedicated faculty, staff, administrators, board and community members as we collaboratively plan and work towards the College’s promising future.”
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