EVENT TEAM

Dr. Emily Matuszewicz (She/Her/Hers) is the Health Institute Director of Development and Partnerships. She built her career in health and wellness through twenty-five years of private practice before becoming faculty in the Integrative Health Care program. Out of her commitment to working with under-served communities, she created a service-learning course focused on the 1984 Union Carbide industrial disaster in Bhopal, India. This tragedy left thousands of impoverished individuals with chronic health conditions. In 2016 and 2019, she led students to the Sambavna Clinic in Bhopal where they lived and worked alongside integrative practitioners providing free health care to survivors. As Director of the Health Institute, Emily is charged with the oversight and development of an interdisciplinary educational approach that prepares students from diverse backgrounds to become Colorado’s future health professionals, improve health outcomes, and promote health equity. 

Mira Morton Luna is a skilled leader with over 20 years of experience in diverse community outreach, coaching, and project management. With a background in healthcare spanning 10 years, Mira has a proven track record of successfully working with government, corporate, academic, and nonprofit organizations, leveraging their expertise to build strong partnerships with people and organizations from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. She is passionate about working with diverse populations, and Mira is committed to closing the attainment and leadership gap among diverse communities

Prior to working with the Health Institute, Mira was the Associate Director for Career Development at the University of Denver, where she directed employer relations and spearheaded strategic partnerships with government, nonprofit organizations, and corporations, engaging over 400 employers annually. She developed and implemented a comprehensive career curriculum, conducting numerous career events and reaching more than 1200 students and alumni each year.

Previously Mira held positions in the pharmaceutical industry and with the American Diabetes Association. Mira also served as the Executive Director of the NW Coalition 4 Better Schools, overseeing advocacy efforts and improving academic achievement for diverse students. With a passion for community engagement, she wrote successful grants, raised funds, and trained volunteers to support the organization's mission.

Mira holds a specialized graduate certificate in Human Capital in Organizations from the University of Denver and has completed multiple graduate business organizational courses. She earned a Master's degree in International and Intercultural Communications from the same university and a Bachelor's degree in Communications with an emphasis on Hispanic Studies from Lewis & Clark College.

Mariana Pascual-Miranda was born in Toluca, Mexico and was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Through her own lived experience as an immigrant and seeing the experiences of the people in the community she lived in, it made her want to pursue a career that would allow her to help those who face hardships. These experiences have inspired her to want to become a helping professional. She was awarded the DREAM.US scholarship, the most competitive full-ride scholarship for undocumented students in the nation, which allowed her to pursue higher education. This opened many windows of opportunity for her. In 2019, she moved to Denver to study at Metropolitan State University to get her Bachelor's of Science in Social Work. 

She has previously served as a First-Generation Student Coordinator with the First-Generation Initiatives Office at MSU Denver and with Racial Equity Programming. In Mariana’s 4 years of being in Denver, she has expanded her horizons to do engagement, community outreach and organizing with numerous nonprofits, organizations, and coalitions. From providing helping efforts with the homeless population, LGBTQ+ community, women, children, refugees, immigrants, and coalition work to fight for social justice-all of these areas that she has worked with have had the same goal of enhancing people’s way of living through advocacy and community building. Mariana hopes to continue creating safe and equitable spaces for marginalized communities, and is excited to work alongside DACA/Undocumented Students.

Samanta Chumacero (she/her(s)/ella) is a proud MSU Denver alumna and a health career navigator in the Health Institute.  She is a bilingual immigrant from Mexico City, grew up in Colorado and spent 13 years as an educator in the K-12 classroom before transitioning into higher education in 2022.  She has a degree in Human Performance and Sport and is currently working on her master's degree in learning design and technology at CU Denver.  She loves supporting MSU Denver Roadrunners in attaining their academic and career goals and is honored to be a part of the changemaker community at MSU Denver! 

Alli was born and raised in Colorado, and she graduated from Coe College in 2019 with a degree in biology and neuroscience and minors in Spanish and religion. She spent the 2019-2020 school year working at a secondary and vocational school in La Rioja, Spain on a Fulbright scholarship. Most recently, she worked as a Student Success Coach at Purdue University, where she taught classes and provided holistic support for low-income and first-generation students. While at Purdue, Alli also completed her master's degree in educational psychology. She currently leads the CDPHE Practice-Based Health Education Grant Program at the MSU Denver Health Institute, which provides financial support and career guidance to students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing degrees in healthcare fields. Outside of work, Alli loves to travel (although with her terrible sense of direction she spends most of her time wandering aimlessly until she stumbles upon something cool), and she also loves hiking, trying new foods, and spending time with friends and family.

Daniel Cicenia (he, him, his) is a higher ed professional with a passion for closing equity gaps in education and assisting students as they progress towards their academic and career goals. In his role at MSU Denver, Daniel facilitates the Health Institute’s data reporting and supports students as they navigate their paths in health-related fields. He is experienced with providing systematic program assessment, preparing Annual Performance Reports (APR) to federal agencies providing student support, and curriculum delivery through workshops and course instruction. Daniel holds a masters degree in Higher Education and a doctorate in Political Science, including a specialization in social science research methodology.

Kate is an experienced Edtech professional with a background in supporting adult learners in their continuing education and development and a dedication for making career mobility accessible. She has a deep commitment to DEI work within organizations, with experience leading community engagement efforts for LGBTQ+ populations.

She holds a B.A. in Gender Studies and Studio Art from Smith College and a project management certificate from George Washington University. Kate serves as Interim Project Manager at the Health institute and is working on a project that aims to address diversity and the workforce shortage of licensed mental health clinicians in the state of Colorado.