Marta Angélica Mercado-Sierra is an associate professor at the Orien Levy Woolf School of Social Work at the University of Women of Texas. With a career spanning three decades, Marta Angélica has dedicated herself to addressing and dismantling gender oppression and discrimination through advocacy, program development and evaluation, nonprofit management, public administration, grant writing, policy analysis, research, and teaching in higher education. She has also recently been part of advisory boards on gender, women, and LGBTQ studies, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion committees, and a Latinx interests committee in academia.
Marta Angélica’s journey began in Puerto Rico, where she co-founded Casa de la Bondad, Inc. in 1994, a shelter dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. She served as executive director from 1997 to 2001. Her leadership extended to community service, playing a crucial role as a fiscal agent and board member of the Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer, Inc., Puerto Rico’s coalition against domestic violence and sexual assault. She also volunteered as a consultant for the Organización Puertorriqueña de la Mujer Trabajadora, a feminist organization, and the Hogar Padre Bernard, which provided services to the homeless community in Old San Juan. She also trained leaders at the Church of Love, Faith, and Hope (Iglesia Casa de Amor, Fe y Esperanza) in Puerto Rico.
In 2008, Marta Angélica was appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico as the Puerto Rico Women’s Advocate, following her significant contributions to the development of institutional policies and programmatic structures to protect women’s rights at the newly established government agency between 2001 and 2007. Her nomination was supported by numerous women’s services organizations and feminists, recognizing her unwavering commitment to the safety, well-being, and development of women. She led efforts to advocate for related public policies and oversee their implementation as Women’s Advocate. During her tenure, she chaired Puerto Rico’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force and the Interagency Commission for Developing a Comprehensive Public Policy on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, was part of the Offender Reeducation Council, and served as vice president of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Women’s Conference, ECLAC, United Nations. Her work was crucial in implementing innovative initiatives such as incorporating a gender perspective into public education, though short-lived.
After nearly 20 years of professional service in Puerto Rico, Marta Angélica transitioned to an academic position in Texas, where she has continued her advocacy and leadership in the fight for gender equity. She has been involved with the Latina Staff and Faculty Association at Texas A&M University-Commerce, the Texas Black Faculty and Staff Association in Higher Education, the Council on Social Work Education, and the Equity and Women’s Rights Committee of the National Association of Social Workers – Texas Chapter.
In both her professional and academic roles, she leverages her extensive experience and collaborations to secure funding, having raised over $20 million for initiatives aimed at preventing gender-based violence, promoting student success, and advancing social justice. Her research, publications, and presentations focus on gender-based violence, microaggressions, health disparities, social development, and educational equity, always from an intersectional, human rights, and transformational approach.
Marta Angélica holds a bachelor’s degree in social work, a master’s degree in human services supervision and management, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis and Administration from the University of Puerto Rico. Her dissertation, supported by two fellowships, explored gender equity in educational policies in Puerto Rico. Her passion for her homeland and her commitment to building an equitable and just society continue to inspire her work beyond her campus and local community.
