Dr. Marisol Morales, a Chicago native with Puerto Rican roots, is Executive Director of the Carnegie Elective Classifications at the American Council on Education (ACE). In this role, she leads the Central Office and provides strategic and conceptual leadership for the networked model of the Carnegie Electives, including Community Engagement, Sustainability, and Leadership for Public Purpose. Her work includes supporting Elective host institutions, guiding national and international advisory committees, advancing research and data initiatives, and supporting the use of classification knowledge to inform institutional practice, policy, and scholarship.

Prior to ACE, Dr. Morales served as Vice President for Network Leadership at Campus Compact. She previously founded and directed the Office of Civic and Community Engagement at the University of La Verne and served as Associate Director of the Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning at DePaul University.

Dr. Morales teaches in the ENLACE Higher Education master’s program at Northeastern Illinois University. She serves on the editorial board of the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning and on the boards of College Unbound and the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation. She holds a BA in Latin American/Latino Studies and an MS in International Public Service Management from DePaul University, and an EdD in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne. 

Deepa is a writer, strategist, and lawyer. She is currently the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Building Movement Project, where she builds projects, resources, and narratives around transformative solidarity practices.