Maria D. Chavez, Ed.D.
  
Occupation/Employment

Retired; Founder and Former Executive Director of the Family Development Program at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
 
Affiliations
Board Member, ZERO TO THREE; Board Member and Past Secretary of the Parents as Teachers National Center; Past Board Member of the Pampers Parenting Institute (PPI) ; Past President of Las Mujeres; and Past President of the New Mexico Bilingual Association.
 
Contributions to the Field
Dr. Chavez is a nationally acclaimed authority on bilingual, multi-cultural education and on creating effective family support systems in communities. Prior to her retirement, Dr. Chavez established and managed the Office of Community Planning, Training and Research & Evaluation for New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Family Department.
 
Recent Honors/Awards/Recognition/Books Published 
New Mexico Women’s Hall of Fame recipient, 1996; Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women, 1996; Honored as one of three outstanding Early Childhood Programs in the Nation by the National Commission on Children, 1993; Brindis a la Mujer Hispana for Outstanding Community Service, 1990; National Association for Bilingual Education Outstanding Dissertations, 1989.