Maria Pena
Maria Pena has been employed in the field of Postsecondary education/Disability Services for over 40 years, starting from a position of student employment and now as a Director of Student Accessibility Services at Dona Ana Community College, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has worked in private, public, 4-year, 2-year and remote institutions as a Coordinator, Associate Director, Counselor, and now as a director. Her educational background includes an AA in Liberal Studies from El Camino Community College, a BA in Sociology from Third College (now Marshall College) at the University of California San Diego; A MS in Rehabilitation Counseling from San Diego State University; A MA in Higher Education from Claremont Graduate University; Two graduate certificates in Assistive Technology Specialist Applications from California State University Northridge and California State University Dominguez Hills; and currently is completing her doctoral program in Psychology at California Southern University. She had done over 20 years of legal research in the field of Postsecondary Education/Disability and has assisted Legal Expert Paul Grossman during that time. Currently she is coordinating a National Task Force with the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) on a white paper for the field on Emotional Support Animals for Students with Psychological Disabilities, and will commence work and research on the paper on 08/01/2026. She has presented at many conferences in her field, is published as a co-author in the JPED Journal, and when asked, serves as a consultant with other Colleges and Universities on issues regarding best practices for services provision, Peace Officer Training, and accommodations for Title IX Pregnancy and Interpersonal Violence.