Alumni Spotlight - Mary Margaret Carrillo, '17 & '23
Dr. Mary Margaret Carrillo (Doctora MMC)
Latina Voices Institute, Founder & CEO
Master of Liberal Studies '17, Doctor of Liberal Studies '23
What do you do professionally, and what is most rewarding about your job?
I am the founder and CEO of Latina Voices Institute, where I design and lead programs, forums, and events that center Latina lived experience as a source of leadership, knowledge, and power. I build engagement experiences—such as the Latina Voices Forum/Experiences, DFW Latina Business Circle, the Doctora Experience, and the Midday Meetups and Journaling Circle online series—that invite Latinas and allies to share their leadership stories, build networks, and access new opportunities for visibility and influence in-person across the nation and online. The most rewarding part of my work is watching Latinas recognize that their stories are not just personal but also powerful tools for community building, advocacy, and change.
What were some of the most meaningful aspects of your education at Simmons?
The professors were absolutely the heart of my educational journey at Simmons. Faculty members brought the texts to life and consistently challenged us to think more deeply, question assumptions, and use our voices—in the classroom, in our writing, and in every room we enter. Their commitment to both rigor and care created a learning environment where I felt seen as a Latina scholar–practitioner and was pushed to become a thinker and leader.
How did Simmons prepare you for your professional career?
My master’s coursework allowed me to focus on communication, the humanities, and human rights, while my doctoral studies invited me to ask big questions about what it means to be human from cultural, psychological, scientific, creative, historical, and human rights perspectives. That interdisciplinary lens directly shaped my doctoral research.
Guided by phenomenal professors, I learned to turn research into practice and story into strategy, drawing on more than 20 years of experience in higher education, K–12, and the nonprofit sector across engagement, event planning, and program development. All of this prepared me to launch Latina Voices Institute, where I now design programs that bridge scholarship, culture, and community storytelling to serve Latina leadership. I presented Latina Voices in Tokyo in 2024 and Paris in 2025. I continue to share my research at national and international academic conferences.
What are some highlights from your experience as an SMU student?
One of the standout experiences from my SMU master’s program was an evening course held in Dallas Hall, the oldest building on campus. The class met in a large, ornate conference room, with just ten of us and our professor gathered around a single table, learning about communication and negotiation in an intimate, highly interactive setting. That experience introduced me to a new way of learning—rooted in dialogue, presence, and shared inquiry—that has stayed with me ever since. It modeled the kind of space I now strive to create-- rooms where every voice matters and learning feels both rigorous and deeply human.
Why you are proud to be a Simmons alum?
I am proud to be a Simmons alum because my degrees, earned in 2017 and 2023, represent a collective journey, not a solo accomplishment. My familia, my adult daughters, my parents, my partner, my friends, my sons-in-law, and my five grandchildren—all of them walked alongside me as I engaged with the texts, authors, projects, classmates, and professors that shaped my work.
What makes me proudest is knowing that my education does not live only on a transcript or in a beautiful frame; it lives in my community and in my world. Every program I design, every story circle I host, and every pathway I help build for Latinas are ways of bringing my Simmons education to life beyond the classroom.
Surprising Fact About Dra. Carrillo
I absolutely love glass-blown art and travel across the U.S. to see Dale Chihuly exhibits whenever I can. Watching glass-blowing demonstrations—seeing tiny pieces transformed by heat and movement into one-of-a-kind works of art—reminds me of the transformative power of process, patience, and creativity in our own lives. I could watch these demonstrations for days and never get bored.